ABSTRACT
In most studies of the world grain trade, little or no direct reference is made to the role of the major grain trading transnational corporations (TNCs ). This is despite the fact that five TNCs account for 85 to 90 per cent of American grain exports; 80 per cent of Argentina's wheat exports; 90 per cent of Australia's sorghum exports; 90 per cent of Canada's rapeseed exports1 and 90 per cent of wheat and corn exported from the EEC. The five are Cargill, Continental, Bunge and Born, Louis Dreyfus and Andre Garnac. Until 1976, Cook Industries was a sixth member of the group, but was declared bankrupt and subsequently taken over by the Japanese firm Mitsui, in 1978. The figures in Tables 6.1 and 6.2 provide some partial evidence of the extent which these five corporations dominate world trade in grains.
