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The benchmark for world food commodity prices was unchanged in June, as increases in international quotations for vegetable oils, sugar and dairy products offset a decrease in those for cereals, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a set of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 120.6 points in June, the same as its revised figure for May. The index is now 2.1 per cent lower than its year-earlier value and 24.8 per cent below its March 2022 peak.
The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 3.0 per cent in June from May, with quotations for coarse grains, wheat and rice all down, driven in part by improved production prospects in major exporting countries.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index, by contrast, rose 3.1 per cent from May, buoyed by reviving global import demand for palm oil and firm demand from the biofuel sector in the Americas for soy and sunflower oils.
The FAO Sugar Price Index increased by 1.9 per cent from May after three consecutive monthly declines, due in large part to concerns over the likely impact of adverse weather and monsoons on production in Brazil and India.
The FAO Dairy Price Index rose by 1.2 per cent, with international quotations for butter reaching a 24-month high on the back of increased global demand for near-term deliveries amidst strong retail sales, seasonally falling milk deliveries in Western Europe and low inventories in Oceania.
The FAO Meat Price Index was virtually unchanged in June, as slight increases in the world prices of ovine, pig and bovine meats nearly offset a supply-led decline in international poultry meat prices.