BIOFUELS BLUNDER
Massive Diversion of U.S. Grain to Fuel Cars is Raising World Food Prices, Risking Political Instability

Briefing before U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair, June 13, 2007

Lester R. Brown

Supporting Data

World Grain Production, Consumption, and Balance, 1960-2007 (table)

World Grain Consumption and Carryover Stocks, 1960-2007 (table and figure)

U.S. Corn Production and Use for Fuel Ethanol and for Export, 1980-2007 (table and figure)

World Grain Production, Consumption, and Balance, 1960-2007
Year	Production	Consumption	Surplus or Deficit
	Million Metric Tons	Million Metric Tons	Million Metric Tons
1960	824	815	8
1961	800	817	-17
1962	850	838	13
1963	858	852	6
1964	906	896	10
1965	905	932	-27
1966	988	957	32
1967	1,014	988	27
1968	1,052	1,020	32
1969	1,063	1,069	-6
1970	1,079	1,108	-29
1971	1,177	1,150	27
1972	1,141	1,174	-33
1973	1,253	1,230	23
1974	1,203	1,190	13
1975	1,237	1,212	25
1976	1,342	1,273	69
1977	1,319	1,320	0
1978	1,445	1,380	65
1979	1,410	1,416	-6
1980	1,429	1,440	-11
1981	1,482	1,458	24
1982	1,533	1,475	58
1983	1,469	1,501	-32
1984	1,632	1,549	83
1985	1,646	1,553	94
1986	1,664	1,601	63
1987	1,600	1,640	-40
1988	1,550	1,621	-71
1989	1,673	1,677	-4
1990	1,768	1,707	61
1991	1,709	1,713	-5
1992	1,785	1,737	48
1993	1,711	1,739	-28
1994	1,756	1,762	-6
1995	1,708	1,739	-31
1996	1,873	1,808	64
1997	1,878	1,821	58
1998	1,876	1,835	40
1999	1,872	1,855	17
2000	1,843	1,857	-15
2001	1,874	1,902	-28
2002	1,820	1,909	-88
2003	1,863	1,935	-72
2004	2,047	1,992	54
2005	2,019	2,020	-2
2006	1,987	2,049	-63
2007 (proj.)	2,087	2,099	-12
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 June 2007.
For additional information see www.earthpolicy.org.

World Grain Consumption and Carryover Stocks, 1960-2007
Year	Consumption	Stocks	Stocks
	Million MetricTons		Days of Consumption
1960	815	203	91
1961	817	182	81
1962	838	190	83
1963	852	193	83
1964	896	194	79
1965	932	159	62
1966	957	189	72
1967	988	213	79
1968	1,020	244	87
1969	1,069	228	78
1970	1,108	193	64
1971	1,150	218	69
1972	1,174	180	56
1973	1,230	192	57
1974	1,190	199	61
1975	1,212	219	66
1976	1,273	280	80
1977	1,320	278	77
1978	1,380	333	88
1979	1,416	328	84
1980	1,440	308	78
1981	1,458	331	83
1982	1,475	389	96
1983	1,501	348	85
1984	1,549	428	101
1985	1,553	518	122
1986	1,601	572	130
1987	1,640	527	117
1988	1,621	449	101
1989	1,677	439	96
1990	1,707	492	105
1991	1,713	483	103
1992	1,737	518	109
1993	1,739	482	101
1994	1,762	476	99
1995	1,739	436	91
1996	1,808	487	98
1997	1,821	541	108
1998	1,835	580	115
1999	1,855	584	115
2000	1,857	564	111
2001	1,902	533	102
2002	1,909	439	84
2003	1,935	354	67
2004	1,992	404	74
2005	2,020	390	70
2006	2,049	323	57
2007 (proj.)	2,099	305	53
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 June 2007.
For additional information see www.earthpolicy.org.

U.S. Corn Production and Use for Fuel Ethanol and for Export, 1980-2007
Year	Production	Use for Fuel Ethanol	Exports
	Million Metric Tons
1980	169	1	61
1981	206	2	51
1982	209	4	46
1983	106	4	48
1984	195	6	47
1985	225	7	31
1986	209	7	38
1987	181	7	44
1988	125	7	52
1989	191	8	60
1990	202	9	44
1991	190	10	40
1992	241	11	42
1993	161	12	34
1994	255	14	55
1995	188	10	57
1996	235	11	46
1997	234	12	38
1998	248	13	50
1999	240	14	49
2000	252	16	49
2001	241	18	48
2002	228	25	40
2003	256	30	48
2004	300	34	46
2005	282	41	55
2006	268	55	55
2007 (proj.)	316	86	50
Note: 1 metric ton corn = 39.4 bushels.
Source: Compiled by Earth Policy Institute with production and exports from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Production, Supply & Distribution, electronic database, www.fas.usda.gov, updated 11 June 2007; corn use for fuel ethanol from USDA, Feed Grains Database, electronic database, www.ers.usda.gov/db/feedgrains, updated 1 June 2007.
For additional information see www.earthpolicy.org.

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