The secondary research process involved comprehensive analysis of agricultural databases, commodity trade publications, crop forecast reports, and authoritative food and agriculture organizations. Key sources included the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) STAT Database, European Commission Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), Brazil's Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (CONAB), Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, India's Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (APEDA), China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, UN Comtrade Database, International Grains Council (IGC), Oil World (ISTA Mielke GmbH), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), Federation of Oil Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA), and commodity exchanges including Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).
Soybean, rapeseed/canola, sunflower seed, palm kernel, cottonseed, and groundnut production and harvest statistics, trade flow data, area under cultivation trends, yield analysis, price volatility patterns, and regulatory landscape information was culled from these sources.