From Peanuts to MRI Machines: The Shocking Math of Global Trade Imbalance

850 tons of peanuts = 1 MRI machine. Share if this blows your mind.

One MRI machine costs more than an entire village’s peanut harvest. Picture truck after truck piled high with peanuts — a whole season’s work. Now imagine it’s still not enough to buy a single life-saving scanner for the local hospital. That’s the hidden math of global trade..

The Peanut-to-MRI Price Gap

Peanuts are valuable as food, but their market price is around $1,200 per ton. A new hospital MRI machine costs more than $1 million.

Did You Know? It can take 850 tons of peanuts — about 17 fully loaded semi-trucks — to pay for one MRI machine.

Not Just Peanuts — Other Price Shocks

• Copper vs. Electric Cars: Copper sells for about $8,000 per ton. The copper inside a single $40,000 electric car is worth only a fraction of the final price.
• Cocoa vs. Chocolate: Raw cocoa beans may bring $2,600 per ton. That same ton, turned into Swiss chocolate, can be worth over $10,000.
• Coffee vs. Espresso Machines: A pound of green coffee beans sells for $2-3. The commercial espresso machine that brews it can cost over $10,000.

Why the Math Stays Broken

Raw materials are commoditized, meaning their price is low and fluctuates wildly based on global supply. Finished products — like medical equipment, electronics, or luxury food — have stable, high prices protected by patents, branding, and technology.

Breaking the Cycle

The solution isn’t growing more peanuts — it’s adding value locally. Countries that move from exporting raw goods to producing finished chocolate, coffee products, or processed foods can keep more wealth at home. Some nations are investing in processing plants and manufacturing to change the story.

Did You Know? Ghana has launched factories to turn local cocoa into chocolate bars for export — keeping more profit in-country.

What It Means for Global Fairness

Until resource-rich nations can climb the “value ladder,” they will keep trading truckloads of peanuts for a single life-saving machine. Understanding this imbalance helps explain why colonial trade systems still echo today. The path to fairness isn't just about trading more—it's about trading smarter.

Related Reading

• Why Natural Resource Wealth Often Fails Africa
• African Minerals and Global Supply Chains Explained
• How Africa’s Cocoa Trade Shaped Global Chocolate

🌍 Share this if you think trade should be fairer for farmers and nations.

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