International Year of Natural Fibres 2009
The International Year of Natural Fibres 2009 was officially launched on 22 January 2009 at FAO in Rome. [ more... ]

WTO provisions in the context of responding to soaring food prices, by Ramesh Sharma and Panos Konandreas. FAO Commodity and Trade Policy Research Working Paper No. 25
This paper discusses certain WTO rules and provisions that have a bearing on response measures to the soaring world food prices. In doing so, it also reflects upon new rules that are being negotiated under the Doha Round. [ more... ]

GIEWS April 2009 (No.2) Crop Prospects and Food Situation
High food prices persist in developing countries despite an improved global cereal supply situation and sharp decline in international prices. This is affecting access to food of large numbers of low-income vulnerable populations. [ more... ]

GIEWS Special Report to Southern Sudan is now available.
Generally favourable rains and relatively few outbreaks of pests and diseases, together with increased returnee population, have resulted in an above average cereal harvest of about 1.25 million tonnes, compared to 860 000 tonnes in 2007. [ more... ]

GIEWS Special Report on Myanmar is now available (January 2009).
During the 2008 monsoon season, agricultural production suffered a significant decline in areas severely affected by Cyclone Nargis, as a result of poor quality seeds, salinity and iron toxicity, lack of agricultural labour and draught animals... [ more... ]

The Food Outlook November 2008 is now available
The previous (June 2008) issue of Food Outlook foresaw world prices of major agricultural commodities declining from the record levels they had just reached, amidst favourable prospects for global supplies. Since then, prices have indeed fallen, but farther and faster than can be explained through production gains alone. Underlying the price slide, in excess of 50 percent from their recent peaks, are other important factors, including the financial crisis, the halving of world crude oil prices and the appreciation of the US dollar. [ more... ]

The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2008-2017
This is the fourth time that the Agricultural Outlook report has been prepared jointly by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The report draws on the commodity, policy and country expertise of both Organisations in providing a longer-term assessment of future prospects in the major world agricultural commodity markets. [ more... ]

World Food Situation
Consumers are feeling the impact of food price increases. It is the poor who are hardest hit.
High prices and market uncertainties are of major concern.
This portal offers latest information on food commodity prices, supply and demand and factors that affect world food markets. [ more... ]

Commodity Market Review 2007-2008
The biennial publication Commodity Market Review (CMR) analyses important agricultural commodity market developments likely to have significant implications for FAO member countries, both developed and developing. This issue of the Review is devoted to exploring in depth a variety of issues related to global agricultural commodity value chains. Value chains have become more complex as production and processing activities turn out to be increasingly fragmented. Moreover, concentration and the prospective of market power, as well as the emergent scope of food standards add to this complexity. [ more... ]