FAO keeps a constant watch on world markets of the main agricultural commodities, including basic foodstuffs, tropical products and raw materials. Monitoring activities serve as a basis for forward-looking analyses. In turn, these analyses assess global supply and demand prospects for commodities in the short- and medium-term and the impact of policy developments and other influential factors on commodity markets. Although global in focus, the team’s market appraisals build on in-depth commodity supply-and-demand assessments at the national level.