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 directoryContents:* 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.