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Global Corn Market Maintains Steady Growth Despite Lower Bioethanol Demand

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Global Corn Market Maintains Steady Growth Despite Lower Bioethanol Demand

Driven by rising demand from the food industry and favorable weather, global corn production increased significantly in 2020. The rise in prices made the raw corn-based production of bioethanol unprofitable amid the low cost of traditional fuels due to the pandemic, resulting in the closure of some distilleries. In the future, the growing demand for alternative fuels is expected to offset this shift and promote the corn market.

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘World – Maize – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

Key Trends and Insights

Driven by rising demand from the food industry and favorable weather, global corn production grew by 2% to 1,435М tonnes in 2020 (IndexBox estimates). Brazil (+7M tonnes), South Africa (+1.2M tonnes) and India (+1.2M) tonnes indicated the most substantial increase in output.

Global corn exports saw a 6% rise, to 168.2Ðœ tonnes. In 2020, global corn prices increased substantially, from $170 per tonne in March 2020 to $240-280 per tonne in March 2021. Argentina retained the lowest competitive export prices in 2020 ($239 per tonne, FOB).

High corn prices resulted in lower competitiveness of corn bioethanol, which aggravated the pandemic-related drop in demand for biofuels. This led to bioethanol plants being forced out of production: according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), approx. 20 out of the 200 ethanol production facilities in the U.S. remain idle; a further 20 have cut production. The volumes of corn intended for biofuel production were redirected to growing exports.

In the period to 2030, the global corn market is set to expand to 1.978M tonnes. Increasing corn consumption in the food sector driven by steady population growth remains the key development factor in terms of market expansion. The market for alternative fuels may yet see significant development, thereby increasing the demand for corn, should environmental standards become more stringent and a carbon tax on greenhouse emissions be imposed.

China, the U.S. and Brazil Consume more than Half of Global Corn Production

The countries with the highest volumes of maize consumption in 2019 were China (523M tonnes), the U.S. (322M tonnes) and Brazil (60M tonnes), with a combined 64% share of global consumption. Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina and India lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 9.2%.

In value terms, the largest maize markets worldwide were China ($170.8B), the U.S. ($106B) and Mexico ($22.5B), with a combined 60% share of the global market. Indonesia, Brazil, India and Argentina lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 8.2%.

The countries with the highest levels of maize per capita consumption in 2019 were the U.S. (978 kg per person), Argentina (619 kg per person) and China (359 kg per person).

Brazil Leads in Exports

Brazil (43M tonnes), Argentina (29M tonnes), Ukraine (27M tonnes) and the U.S. (26M tonnes) represented roughly 79% of total exports of maize in 2019. The following exporters – Romania (4.6M tonnes), France (3.7M tonnes), Russia (3.1M tonnes), Hungary (3M tonnes), Paraguay (2.7M tonnes) and Bulgaria (2.6M tonnes) – together made up 12% of total exports.

In value terms, the U.S. ($8.9B), Brazil ($7.3B) and Argentina ($6B) were the countries with the highest levels of exports in 2019, together comprising 62% of global exports. These countries were followed by Ukraine, France, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria and Paraguay, which together accounted for a further 28%.

In 2019, the average maize export price amounted to $229 per tonne, approximately reflecting the previous year. Overall, the export price, however, showed a pronounced contraction. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2017 an increase of 13% year-to-year. The global export price peaked at $301 per tonne in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2019, export prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform

diabetes

Global Diabetes Care Devices Market Report

The revenue graph of the diabetes care devices market has been witnessing considerable momentum in recent years owing to the increasing usage of self-monitoring blood glucose and insulin delivery devices. Obesity, smoking, genetic mutations, a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet have led to an escalation in the number of diabetes patients. The occurrence of diabetes is gradually rising, such that more than 1 in every 10 adult individuals or 12.2% of the U.S. population aged 18 years or older is affected with it. Diabetes is considered as the seventh leading cause of death.

According to WHO, 422 million adults globally are diabetic patients, 1.6 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year and 1 in 3 adults aged over 18 years is overweight and 1 in 10 is obese. In essence, all these statistics demonstrate the rapid growth in the number of diabetic patients which has driven the growth prospects of the diabetes care devices industry. According to a research report by Global Market Insights, Inc., the revenue portfolio of the diabetes care devices market will exceed USD 41.5 billion by 2025.

Diabetes is increasing among adults as well as children due to the prominence of an indolent lifestyle. In 2016, 41 million infants and young children were reported to be obese or overweight, 124 million children and adolescents were obese which counts to be a tenfold increase in the last four decades and nearly 1 in 5 children and adolescents are overweight or obese. Obesity is the primary cause which has led to the prevalence of diabetes as almost everyone prefers to enjoy an unhealthy lifestyle without realizing the significance of physical wellness. As per the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), around 305,000 people died due to type 2 diabetes in America in the year 2014.

Increasing count of deaths due to diabetes has intensified the sales of diabetic care devices. The latest technologies and devices are being preferred over traditional techniques due to their ability to deliver accurate results. Launched recently, Senseonics’s Eversense Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system is one such unique and revolutionary device. Termed as the first implantable device to measure glucose level, Eversense CGM has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which is being touted as a groundbreaking step forward in the dynamic diabetic management world.

The device uses a unique light-based technology to send glucose level data to an app on cell phone, warning patients about their rising or dropping glucose level. It can be worn up to 90 days which is impressive as Dexcom and Medtronic’s sensor technology can be used for up to 10 days only. Eversense CGM is one of many innovations unveiled by medical device makers to check on diabetes and demonstrates the enormous growth opportunities being opened up for the diabetes care devices industry.

Numerous innovations in the healthcare sector have ensured that several options and product ranges are available to keep a check on diabetes. Many of these are in the pipeline and are awaiting regulatory approval. For instance, a ready-to-use glucagon emergency pen by Xeris Pharmaceuticals is awaiting regulatory approval from FDA depending upon the meeting in June 2019. Apparently, there are a number of devices in the early production phase or are seeking FDA approval – a factor that would benefit the growth prospects of diabetes care devices market.

Moreover, myriad studies are being carried out today to find out new approaches to manage diabetes. For instance, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is a non-profit organization which offers funding to cure type 1 diabetes (T1D). The organization has invested over $2.2 billion in research funding since its inception. A T1D patient Lindsey Redepenning is a commendable example of recovery through Medtronic 670g Artificial Pancreas hybrid closed-loop system developed with the contribution of JDRF. Implantation of artificial pancreas is a new technology that effectively helps in curing T1D by releasing insulin in with changing blood glucose levels in a similar way to a human pancreas.

In a nutshell, rising number of R&D investments and consistent efforts of non-profit organizations like JDRF will propel diabetes care devices market share. Additionally, the launch of technologically-superior and highly efficient blood glucose measuring devices is likely to assist the diabetes care devices market in registering exponential growth in the times to come.

Source: Global Market Insights