Commodity marketA commodity market is a market that trades in the primary economic sector rather than manufactured products. The primary sector includes agricultural products, energy products, and metals. Soft commodities may be perishable and harvested, while hard commodities are usually mined, such as gold and oil. Futures contracts are the oldest way of investing in commodities.Exchange (organized market)An exchange, bourse (), trading exchange or trading venue is an organized market where people can buy and sell financial instruments, such as tradable securities, commodities, foreign exchange and derivative contracts.
Raw materialA raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials / intermediate goods that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedstock, the term connotes these materials are bottleneck assets and are required to produce other products.
BarleyCereal grainBarley (Hordeum vulgare), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. One of the first cultivated grains, it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshatteringspikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow.
WheatWheat is a group of wild and domesticated grasses of the genus Triticum (). As cereals, they are cultivated for their grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known wheat species and hybrids include the most widely grown common wheat (T. aestivum), spelt, durum, emmer, einkorn, and Khorasan or Kamut. The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BC.
CoffeeCoffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Dark-colored and bitter, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content; however decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries, the Coffea plant's fruits, are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles.
Cocoa beanFatty seed of Theobroma cacaoForms of the cocoa bean during productionPods at various stages of ripeningBeans in pulp in freshly cut podBeans: In pulp, in skin, and nakedRoasted nibs (pieces of kernels) are generally powdered and melted into chocolate liquor, but also inserted into chocolate bars to give additional texture or "crunch".The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermentedseed of Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree.
SugarSweet-tasting, water-soluble carbohydratesSugars (clockwise from top-left): white refined, unrefined, brown, unprocessed cane sugar Sugar is a class of sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose and galactose.
CommodityYerba mate (left), coffee bean (middle) and tea (right), all used for caffeinated infusions, are commodity cash crops.In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.
MilkMilk is usually a white liquid food (but can be shades of yellow, cream, pink, or brown) produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest solid food. Milk contains many nutrients, including calcium and protein, as well as lactose and saturated fat; the enzyme lactase is needed to break down lactose. Immune factors and immune-modulating components in milk contribute to milk immunity.
MaizeSpecies of grass cultivated as a food cropMaize (; Zea mays), also known as corn, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern commercial varieties, these are usually yellow or white; other varieties can be of many colors.
CottonPlant fiber from the genus GossypiumCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus Gossypium in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose and may contain minor percentages of waxes, fats, pectins, and water. Under natural conditions, cotton bolls facilitate the dispersal of the seeds.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.