El Niño-linked drought has caused widespread crop damage and wilting in Southern Africa, with 2024 harvests expected at below-average levels. Import requirements forecast to increase steeply and supplies likely to be sourced from outside of the Southern African region. The number of acutely food insecure people is expected to escalate in 2024/25.

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 January–March 2024.

The April issue of the publication summarizes the salient trends and drivers of market developments in 2023. The review finds that international dairy prices weakened significantly in 2023. Additionally, global milk production expanded at a slightly faster pace in 2023 and international dairy trade contracted for the second consecutive year, albeit slower than the previous year.

International wheat prices declined in March 2024, amid ample global supplies, relatively favourable conditions of crops still to be harvested and strong competition on international markets, while global maize prices firmed marginally. International rice prices fell by 1.7 percent in March, largely due to subdued import demand. FAO’s analysis of the latest available data shows that, in most countries, domestic staple food prices remained elevated in February and March 2024 compared to...

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.In March 2024, the FAO price indices for oilseeds and oilmeals continued to decline, whereas the vegetable oil price index rebounded markedly from the previous month. While the oilseed and oilmeal price...

Between 2 and 17 January 2024, following a request by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoA&F), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close cooperation with the Food Security Technical Secretariat (FSTS) and the State Ministries of Agriculture, carried out its annual Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) to estimate the 2023 crop production and assess the food supply situation throughout the 18 states...

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. In February, all three FAO price indices pertainingto the oilcrops complex declined. The oilseed price index decreased by 5.2 points (4.3 percent) from the revised level of the previous month, reaching...

International prices of all major cereals declined in February 2024. Ample supplies and strong competition among exporters underpinned a decline in wheat and maize prices. International rice prices also dropped as, aside from Indonesian purchases, fresh import demand remained broadly low and new crop harvests began in some exporting countries. In most countries monitored by FAO, domestic staple food prices remained high in February 2024. Extreme weather events, conflicts and insecurity...

Climate change is impacting global food production systems, making the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population more difficult than ever before. The tropical fruit sector is particularly at risk from the negative impacts of climate change driven by rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and associated challenges such as water stress and increased pests and diseases. This poses significant risks for the long-term sustainability of production and trade of important...