Book excerpt: An in-depth survey of the major commodities of the world * Profiles each commodity in detail * Provides in-depth statistics on production * Includes an invaluable directory Contents: * Introductory essays * Covers all major agricultural and mineral products including aluminium, coal, cotton, nickel, petroleum, bananas, rice, rubber, tea, coffee, tobacco, wheat, natural gas, soybeans, zinc, lead and phosphates * Each commodity is profiled in detail with information on physical appearance, history, uses, major markets, trends in demand, major importers and exporters * Statistical details of recent levels of production at a global and individual country level * Recent trends in prices with indexes of export prices * A directory of organizations concerned with commodities.