FAO and the OECD have jointly developed this practical guidance to help enterprises observe existing standards of responsible business conduct along agricultural supply chains. The guidance is a summary of existing voluntary standards and principles, including the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS RAI) endorsed by the CFS in 2014. It does not aim to create any new standards, nor does it seek to substitute existing...

Climate forecasts point to a very likely continuation of drier-than-normal conditions in early 2016 increasing the likelihood of serious impacts on production across many areas of the subregion.

International prices of wheat and maize generally declined in November and were lower than a year earlier. Overall, ample global supplies and weak export demand weighed on quotations. The FAO Rice Price Index remained on a decreasing trend, influenced by declines in Japonica and Aromatic rice prices. In Southern Africa, maize prices rose further in November and doubled their year-earlier levels in some markets, reflecting tight market supplies due to...

FAO’s latest forecasts for global supply and demand of cereals continue to point to a generally comfortable 2015/16 marketing season, with world inventories by the close of seasons in 2016 expected to fall only slightly below their record opening levels. AFRICA: Cereal production in 2015 is forecast to fall, mainly reflecting the impact of adverse weather on Southern Africa’s output and the ongoing harvest in East Africa. Harvests in West...

The FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance System (CCBS) is a database of annual supply and utilization balances for main cereals, covering all countries of the world. It has been maintained by FAO/GIEWS since 1980 and is updated on a continual basis. This statistical report, which is a subset of CCBS data, presents the current-year cereal supply and demand balances for all sub-Saharan African countries, highlighting cereal import and food aid requirements...

International prices of maize and wheat generally increased in October. Maize prices were underpinned by further downward revisions of the 2015 production forecasts in key exporting countries, while lingering concerns about inadequate precipitation for planting of the 2016 winter wheat crop in the Black Sea Region and in the United States of America supported wheat prices. The FAO Rice price Index remained under pressure driven by declines in Aromatic and...