Top Margarine Producing Countries in the World

Margarine is produced as an inexpensive alternative to butter, and is used for baking, spreading, and cooking.
Margarine is produced as an inexpensive alternative to butter, and is used for baking, spreading, and cooking.

Margarine is a butter-like product made primarily of water and vegetable oils, but it can also contain milk as one of the ingredients. Margarine is used for baking, spreading, and cooking, and it is produced as an inexpensive alternative to butter since it has low cholesterol and fat content. Various countries in the world produce margarine, and the leading producing country is the United States of America. The following description provides the top ten leading manufacturers of margarine in the world, giving their corresponding average production in the period 1993-2014.

Top Margarine Producing Countries in the World

The United States of America

The United States of America is the largest producer of margarine with an average production of 4,078,168 tons per year. The technological advancement in the country is the primary factor that contributes to the high production of margarine.

Pakistan

Pakistan is the number two leading producer of margarine. It produced 1,305,272 metric tons of the product from 1993 to 2014. In Pakistan, a large percentage of spread consumption constitutes margarine and butter. The locally produced margarine on the market by the country is the Blue Band.

India

The third leading producer is India with an average annual production of 1,286,763 metric tons of margarine. Some of the manufacturers in the country are Pragya Valley Amul, Mandar Food Products, and Gagar Foods Private Limited.

Turkey

Turkey is in the fourth spot in the list, producing an average of 601,969 tonnes. The country provides the Bakery, Narina, Pastry, Luna Vegetable, and Evin Vegetable brands of margarine, to name a few.

Germany

Germany produces 527,729 metric tons of margarine, making the country the fifth leading producer in the world. The country produced the highest amount in 2011 when the production was worth 762.35 million euros. The figure, however, went down in 2016 when the value of production was 338.86 million euros.

Brazil

Brazil follows Germany on the list with an average production of 481,186 tonnes. In 2015, the margarine sales in Brazil rose by 2.7%, implying an increasing level of the output of the product in the country. The traditional version of margarine in the country contributed to the significant sales by about 89% of the total sales.

Russian Federation

The seventh leading producer is Russian Federation who produced 472,336 metric tons of margarine from 1993 to 2014. The country primarily provides cooking margarine at over 70%, which is followed by cooking fats at 16%, and sandwich margarine at 11%.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is the number eight producer with an average output of 399,409 tons of margarine per year. Margarine is a valuable export in the United Kingdom, however, the number of exports has declined in the recent years as imports of the same have risen.

Japan

Japan stands at number nine with an average production of 374,161 metric tons per year. Some brands of Japanese margarine include the Garlic, Cake, Koiwai, and Hotel margarines. The country has faced a shortage of butter due to increased production and consumption of margarine as its substitute.

Poland

Poland produced an average of 370,424 tons of margarine. The primary raw material for margarine production in the country is rapeseed. Poland is the number three producer of the raw material in Europe, hence contributing to the manufacture of margarine with rapeseed oils as its component.

Changing Trends in Margarine Production

Margarine production varies from country to country depending on the availability of manufacturers that can give various brands of the product. Butter is known to have many fats and a high cholesterol content, which has caused many countries to increase margarine production. The United States of America tops the list of margarine producing countries.

Top Margarine Producing Countries in the World

RankCountryProduction in Tonnes, Average 1993-2014 (Source: FAOSTAT)
1United States of America4,078,168
2Pakistan1,305,272
3India1,286,763
4Turkey601,969
5Germany527,729
6Brazil481,186
7Russian Federation472,336
8United Kingdom399,409
9Japan374,161
10Poland370,424
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