Markets and Trade

05/02/2020

Medium-term Outlook: Prospects for global production and trade in bananas and tropical fruits 2019. Bananas and, particularly, tropical fruits constitute a significant source of economic growth, income, food security and nutrition for the rural areas of many developing countries. The projections for bananas and tropical fruits presented in this medium-term outlook span a ten year horizon, from 2019 to 2028.

03/02/2020

International dairy prices in June, measured by the FAO Dairy Price Index, were down by 5.7 points (5.4 percent) from January 2020, with skim milk powder (SMP) registering the sharpest fall (-15.3 percent), followed by butter (11.8 percent), whole milk powder (WMP) (-11.2 percent), while cheese prices rose (+1.6 percent).

01/02/2020

Processing and value chain development of vegetables, fruits, fish and livestock products using appropriate technologies promoted through introduction of farmers group marketing practices.

29/01/2020

The worst desert locust outbreak in 25 years has caused significant pasture losses across East Africa, mainly in agro-pastoral areas of eastern Ethiopia, central Somalia and northern Kenya. As sustained locust reproduction is expected until June 2020, the outbreak has a high probability to spread to southern Ethiopia, southern Somalia, northeastern Uganda and South Sudan. Immediate upscaling of aerial control measures is urgently needed to mitigate crop and pasture losses and to avoid a sharp deterioration of the food security situation.

15/01/2020

The month of December saw FAO’s three price indices related to the oilcrops complex appreciate. Month-on-month, the oilseed and oilmeal indices gained, respectively, 1.7 and 4.1 points (or 1.2 and 2.7 percent), but the strongest rise occurred in the vegetable oil segment, whit its index rising 14.1 points (or 9.4 percent) –marking the sixth increase in succession and the highest level since November 2017.

09/01/2020

A comprehensive analysis of production, trade, and prices of bananas.

07/01/2020

The Banana Statistical compendium, issued once a year, contains information on global banana trade. Its sources include information provided by FAO member nations, traders, news bulletins and the opinions of commodity specialists and represents the most authoritative and up-to-date source of information on the world banana economy.

20/12/2019

Global meat output is forecast at 335 million tonnes (in carcass weight equivalent) in 2019, 1 percent lower than in 2018. This marks a departure from the stable growth trend recorded over the past two decades and indicates a sharper fall than anticipated in May, principally due to a deeper than earlier expected impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China and its spread to several East Asian countries. World meat exports is forecast at 36 million tonnes in 2019, up 6.7 percent from 2018, principally driven by increased imports by China due to domestic tightness caused by ASF-related production losses. The FAO Meat Price Index measured by the FAO Meat Price Index, have continued to register moderate month-on-month increases since the start of 2019, with pig meat, frozen in particular, recording the sharpest rise due to the surge in import demand by China. Poultry, ovine and bovine meat prices strengthened, also supported by stronger Asian demand.

11/12/2019

International prices of wheat generally rose in November although large global supplies capped the increases, those of maize also increased except in the United States of America, where they softened amid a slow pace in export sales. International prices of rice fell to six-month lows, pressured by new crop arrivals and sluggish demand. In Southern Africa, food prices continued to climb steeply in Zimbabwe amidst an economic crisis. Elsewhere, tight supplies and weak currencies continued to exert upward pressure on cereal prices, which were significantly higher on a yearly basis and at record highs in several countries. In East Africa, prices of coarse grains generally increased in November and reached high levels on a yearly basis, with seasonal trends compounded by reduced harvests in several countries and by a difficult macroeconomic situation in the Sudan and South Sudan. In CIS Asia, prices of wheat flour in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan continued to record atypical increases in November, underpinned by higher price quotations in the regional export market.

09/12/2019

The 2018 compendium offers an overview of salient government policies and related private sector measures concerning global and national markets for oilcrops and derived products. Its purpose is to facilitate the work of policy makers, market experts, analysts and other interested stakeholders by providing a short, concise, overview of policy developments relevant to the sector. Detailed news items are presented in tabular form (in English only), preceeded by a breief discussion of teh key policy trends observed in the year under review.

05/12/2019

FAO assesses that globally 42 countries, of which 32 are in Africa, continue to be in need of external assistance for food. Conflict‑driven crises are the main cause of the high levels of severe food insecurity. Additionally, agricultural droughts and floods have sharply reduced harvests and contributed to abrupt spikes in food prices significantly aggravating food insecurity.

12/11/2019

From a global perspective, food commodity markets in 2019/20 should continue to be generally well supplied, with international prices remaining below their recent peaks. However, a fast changing trade environment along with the outbreaks of important animal and plant diseases could pose challenges for global market stability.

12/11/2019

International prices of wheat rose in October after declining during the past few months due to strong demand for exports and lower production prospects in key producing countries of the Southern Hemisphere. Prices of maize also increased, supported by reduced supplies in the United States of America and a pick-up in sales from Argentina and Ukraine. By contrast, slow demand and harvest pressure caused international rice prices to subside. In Southern Africa, tight supplies and currency weakness in several countries continued to support prices of the main food staple, maize, which remained at high levels across the subregion. In East Africa, prices of coarse grains in October were at levels well above those a year earlier in several countries of the subregion, mainly due to reduced harvests. In the Sudan and South Sudan, prices of coarse grains remained stable or declined slightly but were still high due to the difficult macroeconomic situation. In CIS Asia, prices of wheat flour in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan recorded atypical increases in October, after several months of relative stability, mainly underpinned by higher price quotations in the regional export market.

24/10/2019

The Government declares the food emergency law until 2022, as the upsurge of food prices is severely constraining access to food. Despite the expected record cereal production in 2019, prices continue to increase mainly due to the sharp weakening of the local currency and soaring inflation rate.

14/10/2019

The number of food insecure people in Zimbabwe is projected to rise to 5.5 million people between January and March 2020, which would be the highest number on record. The heightened food insecurity is mainly the result of a cereal production shortfall and extremely high food prices, while macroeconomic difficulties have exacerbated the situation.

10/10/2019

In this report, FAO, Twin, KIT and other case holders take a close look at gender inequalities in the cocoa and coffee sectors, and their underlying causes. The included case studies are structured around four themes including: women’s participation and leadership in producer organisations, women’s access to land, the household approach and innovations in extension services. The report also explores how to address inequalities systematically and how to bring the solutions to scale.

10/10/2019

International prices of major cereals were steady to mildly lower in September amid large export availabilities. In East Africa, prices of coarse grains in September were at levels well above those a year earlier in several countries of the subregion mainly due to reduced harvests. In the Sudan and South Sudan, the main trigger of high food prices was the strong depreciation of the countries’ currencies. In Southern Africa, prices of cereals continued to rise steeply in Zimbabwe as economic difficulties persist, while in Zambia, prices of maize products reached record highs mostly driven by supply shortages.

09/10/2019

A comprehensive analysis of production, trade, and prices of bananas.