In March, FAO’s price index for oilseeds contracted for the second consecutive month, shedding 4.7 points (or 3.2 percent) and falling below the level recorded in the corresponding month of last year. The index for vegetable oils posted an even more pronounced fall of 19.0 points (or 12.0 percent), marking the lowest level recorded since October 2019. By contrast, FAO’s oilmeal price index strengthened further, gaining 13.0 points (or 8.0...

Export prices of wheat and maize averaged lower in March than in February despite brisk trade activity amid worries over the COVID-19 pandemic as large global supplies and favourable production prospects continued to dominate market sentiment. By contrast, concerns over the pandemic and news of Viet Nam temporarily halting new export contracts, kept international prices of rice on the rise. An upsurge in food demand and disruptions to supply chains...

A joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) visited the Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 16 November to 5 December 2019 at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The request was prompted by concerns over the impact of unfavourable weather conditions during the second half of 2019 on the main season crops. The Mission estimated the 2019 cereal production and the import requirements during the...

Export prices of wheat and maize generally declined in February amid well-supplied global markets and uncertainties about the impact of Coronavirus on global demand. By contrast, international prices of rice strengthened, on a combination of demand from Far Eastern and East African buyers and tight availabilities in some exporting countries. In Southern Africa, maize price increases eased reflecting improved prospects for the 2020 harvest, large import volumes and the effects...

In February, after rising three months in a row, FAO’s price index for oilseeds posted a moderate drop, shedding 5.8 points (or 3.8 percent). Meanwhile, the vegetable oil price index saw a more pronounced drop of 18.2 points (or 10.3 percent), thus interrupting the upward trend observed since July 2019. By contrast, the oilmeal index remained virtually unchanged. Year-on-year, all three indices trailing the oilcrops complex fared above the respective...

FAO assesses that globally 44 countries, of which 34 are in Africa, continue to be in need of external assistance for food. Agricultural droughts have aggravated food insecurity conditions, due to reduced harvests that also caused price hikes. Conflict driven crises continued to be the primary cause of the high levels of severe food insecurity.

Between 24 November and 14 December 2019, assisted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners, the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MoANR) carried out its annual Assessment Mission to determine crop production and food supply situation throughout the 18 states of the country. The Mission consisted of six core teams comprising members from the MoANR, the Food Security Technical Secretariat (FSTS) of...