increase font size
Dairy was the exception in October, rising 2.2% when the other indexes fell.
The benchmark for world food commodity prices declined moderately in October, down 0.5% from September, with the index for dairy products the only one to rise, says the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 1.0% from the previous month. International rice prices dropped by 2.0 % amid generally passive global import demand, while those of wheat dropped by 1.9 %, weighed on by strong supplies from the United States of America and strong competition among exporters. By contrast, quotations for coarse grains rose slightly, led by maize due to thinning supplies in Argentina.
The FAO Meat Price Index declined by 0.6%, as sluggish import demand especially from East Asia led to a fall in the international prices of pig meat, more than offsetting marginal increases in the prices of poultry, bovine and ovine meats.
In a contrasting trend, the FAO Dairy Price Index rose by 2.2% in October, ending a nine-month decline. World milk powder prices rose the most on the back of surging import demand for both near and longer-term supplies as well as some uncertainty over the impact of the El Niño weather conditions on the upcoming milk production in Oceania.
Meanwhile, persistent and intensifying conflicts are aggravating food insecurity, and moderating international food commodity prices are being countered by weak currencies in many low-income countries.
A total of 46 countries around the world, including 33 African countries, are assessed as needing external assistance for food, according to the latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
Over 50% of residents of the Gaza Strip were estimated to be in acute food insecurity in 2022, prior to the current conflict. The FAO says the escalation of that conflict will increase the need for humanitarian and emergency assistance even as access to the worst-impacted areas remains a concern, adding that spillover effects from the conflict could worsen food insecurity in neighbouring Lebanon.
While world cereal production is forecast to expand by 0.9% in 2023 from the year before, the pace of growth will be half of that rate for the group of 44 Low Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs), the report notes.
The benchmark for world food commodity prices increased for the third consecutive month in May, as higher prices of cereals and dairy products outweighed decreases in quotations for sugar and vegetable oils, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports.
It’s World Milk Day today (June 1), a time to celebrate the vital role that milk, and dairy products play in our lives and acknowledge the tremendous contributions of the New Zealand dairy sector.
The director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says the UN has a role to play in leveraging the power of digital technologies.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
The benchmark for world food commodity prices fell further in January, led by decreases in the prices for cereal and meat, says the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Farmlands says that improved half-year results show that the co-op’s tight focus on supporting New Zealand’s farmers and growers is working.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that discovery of a male Oriental fruit fly on Auckland’s North Shore is a cause for concern for growers.
Fonterra says its earnings for the 2025 financial year are anticipated to be in the upper half of its previously forecast earnings range of 40-60 cents per share.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is having another crack at increasing the fees of its chair and board members.
Livestock management tech company Nedap has launched Nedap New Zealand.
An innovative dairy effluent management system is being designed to help farmers improve on-farm effluent practices and reduce environmental impact.
OPINION: Ruth Richardson, architect of the 1991 ‘Mother of all Budgets’ and the economic reforms dubbed ‘Ruthanasia’, added her two…
OPINION: Why do vegans and others opposed to eating meat try to convince others that a plant based diet is…
