9 November 2017, Rome--- While food commodity prices have been generally stable, the cost of importing food is set to rise in 2017 to USD 1.413 trillion, a 6 percent increase from the previous year and the second highest tally on record according to FAO’s latest Food Outlook report published today.

Tropical fruits are increasingly stars in global trade, with export volumes of mango, pineapple, avocado and papayas on course to achieve a total combined value of USD 10 billion this year. Their popularity is promising for poverty relief and rural development as almost all production takes place in developing countries, usually through smallholder farmers with fewer than five hectares.