Consumption of shelled peanut products has been strong through the third quarter of the 2021/2022 peanut marketing year (which began in August 2021). Ninety percent of peanuts produced in the U.S. are sent to shelling processors and end up being manufactured into food products or crushed for oil. Thus far, disappearance of the old crop is outpacing levels from previous marketing years. As shown in Figure 1, peanuts crushed for oil are at 218 million pounds this marketing year (through April), outpacing the same timeframe during the 2020/2021 marketing year by 5.8%. This marks a third consecutive year of increased peanut crude oil disappearance. Other U.S. oilseed crops such as soybeans have seen record oil crushings this year. This is likely an effort to offset disruptions to vegetable oil markets caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to reduced sunflower production by Ukraine, the world’s leading sunflower producer and sunflower-oil exporter.
Data source: USDA-NASS. Peanut Stocks and Processing. May 25, 2022. Available at: https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/02870v87z/z603s454w/m900pz82z/pnst0522.pdf
Note: Peanut marketing year begins August 1st
Similarly, disappearance of peanut food products has increased by 14.8% to start the marketing year compared to the same period last year, at 2.4 billion pounds. This follows relatively small changes each of the previous three years. The higher disappearance on the food side has been primarily driven by increases in peanut food used for candy production, which is up 15.4% compared to last year. Usage for peanut butter and peanut snacks are down 1.5% and 5.8%, respectively, from last year, continuing the trend observed over the first quarter of this marketing year.
As we inch closer to the 2022 peanut harvest, it is unlikely that the increased peanut usage this marketing year will have a significant change on peanut stocks. This is because the 2021 harvest saw a 4% increase in peanut production, enough to meet this year’s high disappearance. Peanut production might also fall this year due to the lower projected planted acres, but the upcoming publication of the USDA Acreage report will provide more information at the end of the month.
Sources:
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2022. “Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks.” June 1, 2022. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/cafo0622.pdf
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2022. “Peanut Stocks and Processing.” May 25, 2022. Available at: https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/02870v87z/z603s454w/m900pz82z/pnst0522.pdf
Sawadgo, Wendiam. “Shelled Peanut Product Disappearance Increasing“. Southern Ag Today 2(26.1). June 20, 2022. Permalink
