Food Outlook - December 2009

Year of publication2009

AuthorFAO

PublisherFAO

AbstractRecent developments in world agricultural markets for basic food commodities have raised concern about a possible return to another round of high prices. In general, however, the difficulties facing markets today are different from those experienced during the 2007/08 food price surge. The FAO Food Price Index, a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a food basket composed of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, has risen uninterruptedly since August 2009, a trend shared by nearly all its components. In November the index averaged 168 points, the highest since September 2008, although still 21 percent below its peak in June 2008. Prior to the price spike of 2007/08, the index never exceeded 120 points and, for most of the time, was below 100 points.

 

Product typeBook (stand-alone)

SeriesFood Outlook

Areas of workGlobal Commodity Markets

KeywordsFood security; food chains; food production; food shortages; food stocks; food supply; markets; commodity markets; production statistics; trade statistics; monitoring; resource evaluation