GEOGRAPHY

Bio - Flora

Most Economically Important Species

This list features the most economically important plants on Planet Earth.

RANK	PLANT	ECONOMIC VALUE	DESCRIPTION
1	Rice (Oryza sativa)	$300 billion annually	A staple food for over half the world's population, especially in Asia.
2	Wheat (Triticum spp.)	$250 billion annually	One of the most widely cultivated cereal crops, essential for bread and pasta.
3	Corn (Zea mays)	$191 billion annually	Major crop for food, livestock feed, and biofuel production.
4	Soybean (Glycine max)	$185 billion annually	Essential for protein, livestock feed, and oil production, especially in the U.S.
5	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	$75 billion annually	Used in sugar, ethanol production, and biofuels, predominantly grown in Brazil.
6	Coffee (Coffea spp.)	$70 billion annually	One of the most traded commodities globally, fueling economies in the tropics.
7	Cotton (Gossypium spp.)	$60 billion annually	Widely grown for textile production, integral to the global fashion industry.
8	Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)	$40 billion annually	Source of palm oil, used in a wide range of food and cosmetic products globally.
9	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)	$32 billion annually	A staple root crop, essential in food industries worldwide, particularly in Europe.
10	Tea (Camellia sinensis)	$20 billion annually	Widely consumed beverage, especially in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

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References

Briggs, D., 2009. Plant variation and evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.90–110. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/plant-variation-evolution [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Chapman, K.D. & Ohlrogge, J.B., 2012. Economics of oilseed crops. In: Plant Lipids. Academic Press, pp.210–225. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/plant-lipids [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Day, R., 2013. Sugarcane: Production, cultivation, and uses. New York: Nova Science Publishers, pp.160–175. Available at: https://novapublishers.com/sugarcane-production-cultivation-uses [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Evans, L.T., 1998. Feeding the ten billion: Plants and population growth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.56–75. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/feeding-ten-billion [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Fageria, N.K., et al., 2006. Growth and mineral nutrition of field crops. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp.180–190. Available at: https://www.crcpress.com/growth-mineral-nutrition-field-crops [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Harlan, J.R., 1992. Crops and man. Madison: American Society of Agronomy, pp.102–120. Available at: https://www.agronomy.org/crops-and-man [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Janick, J., 2008. Plant breeding reviews, vol. 30. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp.140–160. Available at: https://www.wiley.com/plant-breeding-reviews-vol-30 [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Pimentel, D., et al., 2005. Global economic impact of soybean production. BioScience, pp.435–450. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/55/7/435/241429 [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Smith, C.W. & Cothren, J.T., 1999. Cotton: Origin, history, technology, and production. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp.215–230. Available at: https://www.wiley.com/cotton-origin-history-technology-production [Accessed 1 December 2025]. Wilkes, H.G., 1989. Corn, strange and marvelous: But is a definitive origin known? Economic Botany, pp.225–240. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02860572 [Accessed 1 December 2025].

GEOGRAPHY

Bio - Flora

Most Economically Important Species

References

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