Grains
We specialise in three different grains: corn, wheat and soybeans. Corn, or maize, is a large grain plant first domesticated by indigenous people of Mexico around 10,000 years ago, and is the most produced grain in the world. There are at least six major types of corn like dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn and sweet corn. The optimal average temperature for growth of corn is between 20°C and 23°C. The USA is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn, with production in the 2015/16 season at 13.601 million bushels.
Wheat is a cereal grain originally grown in the Levant but now cultivated worldwide. It is the third most-produced cereal after corn and rice, and is grown on more land area than any other commercial food. Conditions for growth of wheat are ideal with average temperatures between 21°C and 24°C, and between 31 and 38cm of water.
Soybean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses, including many packaged meals and animal feed. The main countries that grow soybeans today are the USA, Brazil and Argentina. Soybeans grow best when the average temperature is between 21°C and 26°C, and requires 400mm to 500mm of rainfall in a season.
After being harvested, dry grains are much more durable than other staple foods, and this durability has made grains well suited to industrial agriculture, since they can be mechanically harvested, stored for long periods and transported across the globe, thus major global commodities markets exist for grains.
At AP Commodities, we source and market grains and their respective by-products (meal and oil) on behalf of producers and traders to importer and industrial users.