World food prices near four-year high in September, UN says
DBA•The FAO Food Price Index rose to 136.0 points in September, its highest level since November 2022, from a revised 134.0 in August. FAO kept its 2026 global cereal production forecast at 2.979 billion metric tons and cut its 2026/27 cereal trade forecast by 0.7%.
1. Food prices rise
World food prices reached their highest level in nearly four years in September, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said. Its Food Price Index averaged 136.0 points, up from a revised 134.0 in August.
2. Commodity pressures
FAO benchmarks for cereals, sugar and vegetable oils rose, while meat and dairy quotations fell. Sugar prices reached an 18-month high amid concerns about a severe El Niño pattern, and wheat futures hit a three-year peak early last month after war-related disruption to Black Sea trade. FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and Black Sea, together with climate shocks, were pressuring energy, transport and key food commodities.
3. Cereal outlook
FAO kept its forecast for 2026 global cereal production almost unchanged at 2.979 billion metric tons, 2.1% below the previous year's peak but the second-largest harvest on record. It cut its forecast for global cereal trade in 2026/27 by 0.7% from September, citing lower wheat and maize export expectations, largely due to constrained Black Sea shipping routes.
