Markets and Trade

11/10/2023

International cereal price trends were mixed in September 2023. Maize prices have increased, reflecting a variety of different factors in the major exporting countries, while wheat prices continued to ease as harvests came to an end in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, generally subdued import demand slightly lowered international rice prices, amid lingering uncertainties regarding India’s rice export policy and progressively thinning supplies in various exporters.

05/10/2023

While many actors contribute to shaping the enabling environment for avocado and pineapple production and trade, governments in producing countries hold a key role in creating conditions that enable and foster sustainability and resilience.

03/10/2023

Cotton plays an important role in the economy of Burkina Faso, accounting for about 4 percent of GDP and 14 percent of export earnings. The COVID 19 pandemic had a strong impact on international cotton supply chains, with confinement measures affecting sales of textiles and apparel as well as international logistics, which in turn affected cotton markets and disturbed trade and international prices.

02/10/2023

Businesses in the global production and export of avocados and pineapples can play an important role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The tropical fruit sector not only contributes to employment and export revenues but also provides nutritious food. However, if not properly managed, social, environmental and economic risks associated with tropical fruits value chains can have detrimental effects and impede progress towards achieving the SDGs.

29/09/2023

This brief highlights the potential of multistakeholder initiatives to benefit producers and companies by fostering sustainability and resilience within tropical fruit value chains. The tropical fruit sector faces many risks, including pests and diseases becoming resistant to phytosanitary products, hazardous labour practices, deforestation, and vulnerability to external shocks, such as climate change and economic downturns.

22/09/2023

FAO’s Responsible Business Conduct Quarterly Bulletin (RBC-Q) shares events and resources on FAO’s activities on Responsible Global Value Chains and news from around the world related to business, risk and development in the agricultural sector. It is prepared by FAO’s Markets and Trade Division (EST). This issue of the bulletin covers the period July–September 2023.

14/09/2023

Seasonal supplies continued to weigh on the world prices of wheat and maize in August 2023, as their harvesting operations were concluded in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, respectively. By contrast, international rice prices rose to their highest level in 15 years, in nominal terms, largely reflecting trade disruptions registered in the aftermath of India’s July ban on Indica white rice exports.

13/09/2023

The Monthly Price Update is an information product provided by the oilseeds desk of the Markets and Trade Division of FAO. It reviews the development of international prices for oilseeds, oils and meals as reflected by FAO’s price indices.

28/08/2023

Fresh fruits and vegetables constitute important commodities in world agricultural production, trade and consumption. Their typically high nutritional value makes fresh fruits and vegetables a critical component in ensuring global food security and nutrition. Since a large share of fruits and vegetables are produced in low income countries, concerns regarding equitable smallholder incomes and foreign exchange generation also play a special role.

25/08/2023

This quarterly bulletin features agricultural trade policy changes in the region. It provides current trade measures, agreements, statistics and articles by experts covering trade-related issues in countries across the region, and it is sent to members of the Agricultural Trade Expert Network.

23/08/2023

The Monthly Price Update is an information product provided by the oilseeds desk of the Markets and Trade Division of FAO. It reviews the development of international prices for oilseeds, oils and meals as reflected by FAO’s price indices.

12/08/2023

he review finds that world meat production will likely expand in 2023, reflecting an increased supply of animals for slaughter amid favourable production conditions in some leading producing regions. However, global meat trade will likely contract due to sluggish economic growth and high stocks in leading importing countries. Meanwhile, international meat prices have trended downward since July 2023, underpinned by increased export availabilities with a slowdown in import demand.

03/08/2023

This report describes full-year results on developments in global major tropical fruits trade in 2022 and represents an update to the Major Tropical Fruits Market Preliminary Results 2022.

31/07/2023

The current food insecurity situation is critical due to reduced agricultural production in 2022, intensified conflict, record high food prices and the devastating effects of Cyclone Mocha. The conflict triggered record-high civilian displacements, currently estimated at 1.83 million people, a three-fold increase compared to the same period in 2022.

26/07/2023

The Kakhovka Reservoir, part of the Dnipro cascade of hydroelectric power plants, was an important source of water for arid regions in the southern part of Ukraine. Flooding after the breach of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023 resulted in relatively limited losses on agricultural production but long-term consequences for irrigation remain, including for maize and other irrigated crops planted in spring 2023. The consequences of the breach raise serious humanitarian, environmental and economic concerns for the region.

25/07/2023

The cereal supply and demand balances included in this report present a subset of data from the FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance System (CCBS) database created and continuously kept up to date by the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) and Basic Foodstuffs teams of the Markets and Trade Division, with data since 1980. It contains annual supply and utilization balances for the main cereals produced and consumed for over 220 countries/areas, from which (sub) regional and global aggregates are drawn. This statistical report contains a subset of cereal country balance sheets (CCBS) data and presents updated cereal supply and demand balances for all sub-Saharan African countries. It complements the information of the FAO/GIEWS Crop Prospects and Food Situation report and is published four times a year with the same schedule. This report is based on information available as of June 2023.

24/07/2023

To better understand current and future climate risks and their impact on pineapple production and trade, as well as how to prepare for, and deal with these risks, the Responsible Fruits Project, working in partnership with key players in the pineapple sector, produced a technical guide on climate change adaptation. The guide was designed for producers and exporters of pineapple and avocado who are interested in learning more about climate change in the context of their own production systems.

24/07/2023

To better understand current and future climate risks and their impact on avocado production and trade, as well as how to prepare for, and deal with these risks, the Responsible Fruits Project, working in partnership with key players in the avocado sector, produced a technical guide on climate change adaptation.