Sorghum
A drought-tolerant grain that is a staple across the Sahel, Sudan, Ethiopia and India, and an export feed crop from the US.
Grains · No. 89
- Not on a critical list
- HHI 656 · unconcentrated
Sorghum can go dormant in a drought and wake when rain returns, feeding millions across the Sahel and India.
Chart: Illustration: Sorghum
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Domesticated in Africa, sorghum copes with drought better than maize, pausing in dry spells and regrowing later. World output was 64.3 Mt in 2024.
Three things to know
- World sorghum output was 64.3 Mt in 2024 against 56.8 Mt in 1990, almost flat while maize kept growing.
- China took 89.0% of world sorghum imports in 2024, for animal feed and for distilling the spirit baijiu.
- Nigeria, Sudan and Ethiopia together grew 24.9% of world sorghum in 2024, much of it eaten at home.
The journey
- 1 Dry farmlandSown on semi-arid or rain-fed land
- 2 HarvestHarvested and dried
- 3 Milling or exportMilled locally or shipped in bulk
- 4 ProcessingFeed mills, distilleries or household milling
- 5 End usesPorridge, flatbread, feed, baijiu, ethanol