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Primary sector

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In economics, the primary sector is the economic sector which comprises industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining.[1][2][3] The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in developing countries than it does in developed countries. For example, in 2018, agriculture, forestry, and fishing comprised more than 15% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa[4] but less than 1% of GDP in North America.[5]

In developed countries the primary sector has become more technologically advanced, enabling for example the mechanization of farming, as compared with lower-tech methods[a] in poorer countries.[6] More developed economies may invest additional capital in primary means of production: for example, in the United States Corn Belt, combine harvesters pick the corn, and sprayers spray large amounts of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, producing a higher yield than is possible using less capital-intensive techniques. These technological advances and investment allow the primary sector to employ a smaller workforce, so developed countries tend to have a smaller percentage of their workforce involved in primary activities, instead having a higher percentage involved in the secondary and tertiary sectors.[7]

List of countries by agricultural output

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Largest countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) according to the IMF and CIA World Factbook, at peak level as of 2018
Economy
Countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) at peak level as of 2018 (billions in USD)
(01) Image China
2,101
(02) Image India
1,400
(03) Image Indonesia
486
(—) Image European Union
352
(04) Image Pakistan
284
(05) Image Nigeria
253
(06) Image Brazil
209
(07) Image Russia
196
(08) Image United States
185
(09) Image Iran
162
(10) Image Turkey
155
(11) Image Egypt
154
(12) Image Thailand
109
(13) Image Vietnam
108
(14) Image Bangladesh
108
(15) Image Argentina
101
(16) Image Mexico
100
(17) Image Philippines
92
(18) Image Myanmar
89
(19) Image Algeria
87
(20) Image Malaysia
84

The twenty largest countries by agricultural output (in PPP terms) at peak level as of 2018, according to the IMF and CIA World Factbook.

See also

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  1. Often using non-powered equipment, sometimes even hand-picking and hand-planting

References

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  1. Chand, S. N. (2006). Dictionary of economics. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 268. ISBN 81-269-0535-2. OCLC 297507928.
  2. "primary producer". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. OCLC 1120411289. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  3. Kjeldsen-Kragh, Søren (2007). The Role of Agriculture in Economic Development: The Lessons of History. Copenhagen Business School Press DK. p. 73. ISBN 978-87-630-0194-6.
  4. "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) | Sub-Saharan Africa". World Bank Open Data. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  5. "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) | North America". World Bank Open Data. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  6. "Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) - Data". data.worldbank.org.
  7. H Dwight H. Perkins: Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 31, No. 1, China's Developmental Experience (March 1973)

Further reading

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  • Dwight H. Perkins: Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, Vol. 31, No. 1, China's Developmental Experience (Mar., 1973)
  • Cameron: General Economic and Social History
  • Historia Económica y Social General, by Maria Inés Barbero, Rubén L. Berenblum, Fernando R. García Molina, Jorge Saborido
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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Primary sector at Wikimedia Commons
  • Economy101.net: The Nature of Wealth