The World Food Programme's top suppliers in 2021

Over 60 years since its founding, the World Food Programme has grown into a behemoth. It now describes itself as the largest humanitarian organization in the world. Its total procurement volume in 2021 amounted to $4.9 billion, making it the second biggest procurer among the agencies within the United Nations system — behind UNICEF. This is up 23.5% from the previous year, with the increase driven by higher spending on emergency response and food aid and its delivery. Data from the U.N.’s annual statistical report — which only covers contracts over $30,000 — shows that of this amount, WFP spent $4.6 billion on major contracts. This makes the agency the U.N.’s biggest spender on major contracts, accounting for 20.9% of the total. WFP’s top supplier countries and sectoral priorities Turkey ranked first among the supplier countries, with $463.5 million, or 10.1% of the total amount WFP spent on major contracts. Others in the top 10 supplier countries were: • Yemen: $226.3 million • Switzerland: $183.8 million • Sudan: $176.4 million • United Arab Emirates: $170.9 million • Ethiopia: $169 million • United States: $160.4 million • France: $143.3 million • The Netherlands: $134.4 million • Afghanistan: $134.4 million Among the top 10, five are classified as low- and middle-income countries: Turkey, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan. The rest are high-income countries. Overall, the top 10 supplier countries received almost $2 billion, or 42.8% of WFP’s total spending on major contracts. Almost three-quarters of WFP’s major contracts went to two sectors: food and beverage products, with $2.1 billion; and transportation, storage, and mail services, with $1.2 billion. WFP’s top suppliers in 2021 The top 10 suppliers received $725.6 million, accounting for 15.8% of WFP’s major contracts spending. Among these, three were also part of the top 10 in 2020: Michiels Fabrieken NV, ADM Romania Trading, and Nutriset. The top five suppliers are based in high-income countries: Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, France, and The Netherlands. The remaining five are based in Turkey, Rwanda, and Kyrgyzstan. Devex followed the list of top suppliers from U.N.’s annual statistical report, although a closer look into WFP’s food aid tenders data suggests that ADM received a larger amount than Mchiels Fabrieken. 1. Michiels Fabrieken NV Founded: 1959 Location: Zulte, Belgium Total procurement value: $100.3 million Whole-grain cereal and food processing company Michiels Fabrieken leads WFP’s top contractors, with $100.3 million. This includes $85.4 million the delivery of so-called Super Cereal in different countries around the world. The company maintained its rank from 2020. Michiels Fabrieken is WFP’s overall biggest supplier from 2015 to 2021, winning $390.7 million in total. 2. ADM Romania Trading Founded: 1902 Location: Constanta, Romania Total procurement value: $95.5 million ADM, a Romanian agricultural products wholesaler company, was awarded $95.5 million in 2021. However, data from WFP’s food aid tenders suggests that the company was awarded $111.2 million, mainly for the delivery and supply of barley in Algeria and wheat in Berbera, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Sudan — putting it on top of the list. The company rose three notches from the previous year and has been a top supplier of WFP since 2017 — ranking third overall, with $249.2 million. 3. Cargill Switzerland Founded: 1956 Location: Geneva, Switzerland Total procurement value: $94 million Up by $83.9 million from 2020, Cargill’s headquarters in Switzerland was awarded $94 million for the delivery of wheat to Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Established in 1956, Cargill Switzerland serves as the headquarters for freight trading and shipping operations, and serves as an important hub for global trading for grains and oilseeds. 4. Nutriset Founded: 1986 Location: Malaunay, France Total procurement value: $82.3 million Another leading supplier of WFP, Nutriset has been awarded $300.5 million since 2017 — making it WFP’s overall second largest supplier. It was awarded $82.3 million in 2021, primarily for lipid-based nutrient supplement and ready-to-use supplementary food — which accounted for $66.8 million. 5. COFCO International Netherlands Founded: 2000 Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands Total procurement value: $69.8 million COFCO International’s office in the Netherlands was awarded $69.8 million for the delivery of wheat in Berbera, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Yemen. COFCO International is a global agricultural supply chain company working in over 30 countries. 6. Aves Enerji Founded: 1996 Location: Mersin, Turkey Total procurement value: $68.8 million Aves Enerji is WFP’s leading supplier of fortified sunflower oil, winning $68.8 million in 2021. The procurements were supplied in Afghanistan, Haiti, South Africa, Sudan, and Yemen. The company has more than 20 years of experience, focusing on the production and trade of oils — including vegetable oils. 7. Başhan Tarımsal Ürünleri Founded: 1988 Location: Mersin, Turkey Total procurement value: $55.4 million Başhan was awarded $55.4 million for food and beverage products. Its total food aid award amounted to $10.7 million, mainly for barley, lentils, rice, and split peas. Başhan is one the leading companies that produces and processes pulses and grains, exporting to more than 85 countries. 8. Africa Improved Foods Founded: 2016 Location: Kigali, Rwanda Total procurement value: $54.9 million AIF is a public-private partnership focused on the local production of foods to solve malnutrition. With long-term contracts from WFP and the government of Rwanda, it was awarded $54.9 million by WFP in 2021. The U.N. agency partners with AIF by procuring maize products — which it acquires from small-scale farmers — for its global operations. 9. Memisoglu Founded: 2005 Location: Mersin, Turkey Total procurement value: $52.7 million One of the biggest agricultural companies in Turkey, Memisoglu won $52.7 million from WFP, which included $4.2 million for procurement of a variety of produce, including chickpeas, wheat, lentils, and sugar. 10. Dan Agro Products Founded: 2005 Location: Moskovsky, Kyrgyzstan Total procurement value: $51.9 million Dan Agro Products supplies agricultural products sourced from Central Asia, recording 19,500 tons of exports annually. It won $51.9 million from WFP for food and beverages products. Based on WFP’s food aid tenders data, the company was awarded $3.4 million for split peas and chickpeas. 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