Friday, March 8, 2024

"FAO Food Price Index Eases Again in February, Mostly Driven by Lower World Cereal Prices"

From the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, March 8, 2024:

» The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) stood at 117.3 points in February 2024, down 0.9 points (0.7 percent) from its revised January level, as decreases in the price indices for cereals and vegetable oils slightly more than offset increases in those for sugar, meat and dairy products. The index was down 13.8 points (10.5 percent) from its corresponding value one year ago.

» The FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 113.8 points in February, down 6.1 points (5.0 percent) from January and as much as 32.9 points (22.4 percent) below its February 2023 value. International prices of all major cereals declined month on month. Maize export prices dropped the most as expectations of large harvests in Argentina and Brazil, along with competitive prices offered by Ukraine eager to take advantage of the smooth running of the maritime trade route, weighed on the market. As regards wheat, the decline in international prices was mostly the result of lower export quotations due a strong export pace from the Russian Federation, which exerted downward pressure on prices from other origins, in particular the European Union. In line with the softer tone in wheat and maize markets, world prices of barley and sorghum also eased. International rice prices edged down by 1.6 percent in February, as, aside from Indonesian purchases, fresh import demand remained broadly slow and new-crop harvests began in some suppliers....

....MUCH MORE

So grains continue their multi-year descent while meat and dairy seem to have started to turn up.