# Sorghum

A drought-tolerant grain that is a staple across the Sahel, Sudan, Ethiopia and India, and an export feed crop from the US.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/

Grains · No. 89

- Not on a critical list
- HHI 656 · unconcentrated
 Grains · Foundation · Matter

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

1. World sorghum output was 64.3 Mt in 2024 against 56.8 Mt in 1990, almost flat while maize kept growing.
2. China took 89.0% of world sorghum imports in 2024, for animal feed and for distilling the spirit baijiu.
3. Nigeria, Sudan and Ethiopia together grew 24.9% of world sorghum in 2024, much of it eaten at home.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Dry farmland**Sown on semi-arid or rain-fed land
2. 2 **Harvest**Harvested and dried
3. 3 **Milling or export**Milled locally or shipped in bulk
4. 4 **Processing**Feed mills, distilleries or household milling
5. 5 **End uses**Porridge, flatbread, feed, baijiu, ethanol
 Covered in [Earth's energy flows: sun, wind, water, heat and lifeEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/earths-energy-flows/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/sorghum/links/index.md)