International prices of wheat and maize fell in November, both influenced by the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Greater export competition and low demand for supplies from the United States of America contributed to the fall in wheat prices, while in the same country, improved logistics and higher seasonal availability also helped ease maize prices. By contrast, international rice prices moved up by another 2.3 percent in November,...

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 October–December 2022.

The December issue of the publication summarizes the salient trends and market outlook in 2022. International dairy prices eased in recent months due to subdued import demand. Moreover, global milk production is forecast to expand slightly, sustained by growth in Asia. Meanwhile, world dairy trade may contract for the first time in two decades.

Between September 2022 and February 2023, about 4.7 million people are projected to experience high levels of acute food insecurity. Economic contraction, sociopolitical instability and worsening insecurity has gradually deteriorated the food security situation in the country. The cholera outbreak is likely to hit vulnerable populations who are already facing food insecurity, and humanitarian assistance is urgently needed to save lives.

The cereal supply and demand balances included in this report present a subset of data from the FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance System (CCBS). The CCBS is a is a unique 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...

FAO assesses that globally 45 countries, including 33 in Africa, nine in Asia, two in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one in Europe, are in need of external assistance for food. Multi-year high inflation rates continue to aggravate food insecurity conditions, particularly in low‑income food-deficit countries. Conflicts and extreme weather events remain the key drivers of severe acute food insecurity across the globe, with particular concerns for countries in...

The FAO led project “Building responsible global value chains for the sustainable production and trade of tropical fruits” (GCP/GLO/022/GER) works with businesses, farmer organizations and other actors in the avocado and pineapple value chains. Our goal is to improve business performance by helping these two value chains be more sustainable and more resilient. The Action Report series provide periodic updates of the project’s activities. This report was published in November...

Countries’ varying natural resource endowments are vital in explaining international trade. Traditional trade theory suggests that differences in technology and factor endowments lead countries to specialize and export certain goods or services in which they have a comparative advantage. The computable general equilibrium (CGE) model simulations used in this paper aim to explain agricultural trade patterns and show how agricultural trade would change in response to productivity, infrastructure and institutions improvements...

The November issue of the publication summarizes the salient trends and market outlook in 2022. The international meat prices reached an all-time high in June 2022 amid tight global supplies. Moreover, global meat production in 2022 is expected to expand only moderately, constrained by animal diseases, rising input costs and extreme weather events. Meanwhile, world meat trade is likely to fall, weighed by a contraction in pig meat imports and...