Grain’s supply and demand ratio finds balance

May 13, 2025

key points from this story:

• Grain supply matches global demand
• Hunger persists despite adequate production
• Distribution and wealth issues are key barriers
• Modern farming could boost yields further
• Population growth strains finite resources
• Global cooperation needed for future solutions

A recent headline at producer.com caught my attention. The header stated ‘Grain’s supply and demand ratio finds balance’.

I appreciate the International Grains Council (IGC) crunches numbers to see if anticipated production matches demand, but it’s a little unclear what constitutes demand? Is demand the typical orders made by traditional buyers, or does it also factor in the hunger in countries with insufficient funds to buy the wheat or rice to feed all the people around the world who go to bed hungry, including far too many even here in Canada?

That Canadians go to bed hungry shows of course it’s not just a government’s inability to pay. There are a lot of issues around the hungry which can range in the inability to get food where it is needed, so mental health care – the reason is dependent on where you are.