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World Food Prices Near Four-Year High in September, UN Says
The FAO said cereal, sugar and vegetable oil prices climbed, while meat and dairy fell, as Black Sea disruptions and weather risks tightened supplies.
On Friday, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported the global food price index rose to 136.0 in September, marking its highest reading since November 2022.
Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, combined with climate shocks, are pushing commodity prices higher, with fears about severe El Nino patterns affecting sugar supplies.
Sugar prices jumped 6.1% and cereal benchmarks rose 5.1% month on month, while vegetable oil edged up 0.9% and the overall meat index eased 1.1%.
FAO chief economist Maximo Torero warned, "If sustained, these pressures will soon pass through to consumer food prices," especially in nations dependent on food and energy imports.
Despite stable cereal production of 2.979 billion metric tons, the FAO cut its 2026/27 forecast for world cereal trade by 0.7% due to constrained Black Sea shipping routes.
Sugar reached its highest level since the spring of 2025, with a price index that rose 6.1 per cent in a month (+14.7 per cent in a year), scoring a third consecutive monthly increase. The Food Price Index calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) increased by 1.5 per cent in September compared to the previous month and by 5.8 per cent compared to the previous year. However, it remains well below its peak, r…