Firmer production estimates for 2012 confirm tightening wheat and maize supplies while the outlook for rice remains positive. In spite of a contraction in overall cereal utilization in 2012/13, the world cereal stock-to-use ratio is projected to decline by 2 percentage points from the previous season. International prices of all major cereals, except rice, remain well above last year. For wheat and maize, while prices have stabilized in recent weeks,...

Latest indications confirm a decline in world cereal production in 2012 from the record in 2011. The decrease will result in a significant reduction in world inventories by the close of seasons in 2013, even with world demand sliding as a result of high prices. International cereal prices remained firm in September, with average wheat and rice quotations increasing slightly, but those of maize declining. Although the volume of aggregate...

The outlook for world cereal production in 2012 improved further in recent weeks largely on expectation of a much bigger maize crop in the United States. World cereal production is now forecast to increase by 3.2 percent to a new record. At 2 419 million tonnes, global cereal production would exceed the anticipated utilization in 2012/13 and lead to a significant replenishment of world stocks, which could keep international prices under...

FAO’s first forecast for world wheat production in 2012 stands at 690 million tonnes, 10 million tonnes less than last year’s record high, but still the second largest crop. Plantings remain high in response to favourable price prospects but yields are assumed to return to average after bumper levels last year in some countries. International prices of cereals firmed in recent weeks with tightening wheat supplies and concerns over the impact...

As the year draws to a close, FAO’s latest estimate confirms a record high global cereal production in 2011, which should be sufficient to cover the expected increase in utilization in 2011/12 and also allow a moderate replenishment of world reserves. International grain prices remained mostly under downward pressure in November, reflecting the confirmation of a strong recovery in production amid deteriorating world economic prospects and a stronger US dollar. Based...

Prospects for global cereal production in 2011 have improved since September, following better expectations for rice and wheat. At the expected record level of 2 310 million tonnes, world cereal production would be 3 percent, or 68 million tonnes, above the reduced 2010 level. In September, international prices of all cereals with the exception of rice fell sharply, triggered by global economic slowdown and the strengthening of the US dollar...

FAO’s latest cereal production forecast for 2011 stands at 2 302 million tonnes, nearly 3 percent higher than in 2010, but 13 million tonnes lower than the forecast published in Food Outlook on 7 June. At this revised level, world cereal production would now be slightly below overall utilization, leading to a further decline in world stocks. The revision largely reflects a downward adjustment to this year’s official maize production...

FAO’s first forecast for world wheat production in 2011 stands at 676 million tonnes, 3.4 percent up from 2010. This level of production would still be below the bumper harvests of 2008 and 2009. International grain prices remained volatile in the first three weeks of March. The cereal import volume in LIFDCs as a group is anticipated to decline in 2010/11 due to increased production. However, their import bill is...

FAO’s latest estimate of the world cereal production in 2010 stands at 2 229 million tonnes, slightly more than the previous forecast in November but still 1.4 percent down from the previous year. Most of the decline is among the major exporting countries while in the Low-Income Food-Deficit countries (LIFDC), cereal output is forecast to increase by 2.5 percent, marking a third consecutive year of sustained growth. The largest increase...

International prices of grain have surged since the beginning of July in response to drought-reduced crops in CIS exporting countries and a subsequent decision by the Russian Federation to ban exports. In September wheat prices were 60 to 80 percent higher than at the beginning of the season in July. However, prices are still one-third below their peaks in 2008. In the same period, the price of maize increased by about...