American business magazine Forbes’ latest list of billionaires in the food industry shows if you want to be among the richest farmers on earth, it helps to live in Russia or farm pigs in China – or choose your parents well.
By Francois Williams, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
According to Forbes’ 2026 top ten rankings, the richest farmer in the world is a Chinese pig farmer.
The Liu brothers from China, who were the two richest farmers in 2023, have seemingly disappeared from the list, replaced at the top by another Chinese pig farmer, Qin Yinglin. He boasts a pig fortune of $20.8 billion.
Qin Yinglin, the richest farmer on earth, owes his success to pigs – and his wife.
Other notable shifts include more Russians and fewer Americans on the list, as well as the absence of farmers from the Southern Hemisphere. The rankings are now dominated by farmers from the Northern Hemisphere.
Vadim Moshkovich was seventh on the list in 2023 with a fortune of $2.3 billion. His wealth has since grown to $2.9 billion. Close behind him are compatriots Pavel Demidov with $1.8 billion, Igor Chuevokormov with $1.7 billion, and the Linnik brothers, Alexander and Victor, with $1.4 billion in agricultural wealth.
Only two of the three Americans from 2023 remain on the list, with Harry Stine overtaking Stewart and Lynda Resnick. Stine now boasts a fortune of $9.9 billion, up from $4 billion in 2023, while the Resnicks’ wealth has grown from $4.6 billion to $5.4 billion.
Howard Buffett, son of legendary investor Warren Buffett, has dropped off the list.
New entrants to the top ten include Andrej Babiš of the Czech Republic, with $4.6 billion, and one of the youngest billionaires on the list, Gustav Magnar Witzøe of Norway. With $4.4 billion tied to a fish farming empire, Witzøe’s position is largely due to a major stake gifted to him by his father.
This year’s list concludes at number 10 with another Chinese pig farmer, He Zuxun, who is worth $1.4 billion.
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The 10 richest farmers
10. He Zuxun (60) – $1.4 billion
Heads Yunnan Shennong Agriculture Industry, a pig farming and meat processing company in China. He started as a veterinarian. Founded in 1999, Shennong is now the largest pig farming operation in Yunnan province and became the first agricultural company from the province to list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2021.
9. Alexander and Victor Linnik (58) – $1.4 billion
The Russian twins founded Miratorg in 1995. It is the largest agricultural landowner in Russia, controlling about 1.4 million hectares. The company produces pork, beef (including Wagyu and Black Angus), poultry and frozen vegetables, and also owns a chain of stores and the Steak & Burger restaurant group.
8. Igor Chuevokormov (57) – $1.7 billion
A Russian entrepreneur with a military background. He started a sugar import business in the 1990s and later acquired several sugar plants during Russia’s privatisation phase. This led to the formation of Prodimex, now the country’s largest sugar producer, with 14 plants and around 900 000 hectares of farmland.
7. Pavel Demidov (57) – $1.8 billion
He and his family own Dominant Group, one of Russia’s largest sugar producers, cultivating more than 790 000 hectares. The group also operates four dairies and is among the top ten cheesemakers in the country. His wife, Svetlana, is co-owner. Their operations process about 50 000 tons of sugar beet per day across seven plants.
6. Vadim Moshkovich (58) – $2.9 billion
Owner of Rusagro, one of Russia’s largest pork and sugar producers. The company farms more than 600 000 hectares.
5. Gustav Magnar Witzøe (33) – $4.4 billion
One of the youngest billionaires on the list. His wealth comes from his father’s fish farming company, which he is set to inherit. His father transferred a controlling stake to him at age 18 as part of estate planning. His company, SalMar, is one of the world’s largest salmon farming operations and holds a major stake in Scottish Sea Farms, the second largest salmon producer in the UK.
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4. Andrej Babiš (71) – $4.6 billion
A newcomer to the list. Often described as the “Czech version of Donald Trump”, he is both a business magnate and politician. He became Czech prime minister again in December after previously serving from 2017 to 2021. He started as a fertiliser trader and built Agrofert into a major agricultural, renewable energy and media group.
3. Stewart Resnick (89) and Lynda Resnick – $5.4 billion
Their wealth has grown from $4.6 billion to $5.4 billion since 2023. Their farming operations produce pomegranates, almonds, pistachios and citrus.
2. Harry Stine (84) – $9.9 billion
Moved up from fifth place in 2023. His wealth has more than doubled, overtaking the Resnicks. He is the founder of Stine Seeds, the world’s largest private seed company, known for genetically advanced soybean seeds.
1. Qin Yinglin (60) – $20.8 billion
A pig farmer from China and the richest farmer in the world. He and his wife, Qian Ying, started with just 22 pigs in 1992. Today, he is chairman and CEO of Muyuan Foods, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and processes about 80 million pigs annually. He ranks 14th among the richest people in China.
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