MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

World food prices rebounded in January with strong demand for vegetable oils, FAO report

FAO Vegetable Oils Price Index led the rebound in January, increasing by 4.2% month-on-month and reversing its December decline to reach an all-time high.

The gauge for world food prices went up in January, largely catalyzed by supply-side constraints for vegetable oils, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 135.7 points in January, 1.1 percent higher than in December. The Index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities.

The FAO Vegetable Oils Price Index led the rebound in January, increasing by 4.2 percent month-on-month and reversing its December decline to reach an all-time high. Quotations for all major oils rose, also supported by rising crude oil prices. Palm oil prices were largely underpinned by concerns over a possible reduction in export availabilities from Indonesia, the world’s leading exporter, while soy oil prices were supported by robust import purchases, particularly from India, rapeseed oil prices were pushed up by lingering supply tightness, and sunflower seed oil quotations were impacted by supply tightness and surging global import demand.

Referring to the latest vegetable oils price increase, Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of FAO’s Markets and Trade Division said: “Reduced export availabilities on top of other supply-side constraints, especially labor shortages and unfavorable weather, largely pushed vegetable oil prices up to an all-time high. There is a concern the impacts of these constraints will not ease quickly.”

The FAO Dairy Price Index increased by 2.4 percent, its fifth consecutive monthly rise, with the steepest increases registered for skim milk powder and butter. Reduced export availabilities from Western Europe and below-average expectations for milk production in Oceania in the months ahead contributed to the tightening in global dairy markets, as did processing and transportation delays linked to COVID-19-related labor shortages.

The FAO Cereal Price Index in January increased marginally, by 0.1 percent, from December. Maize export prices rose by 3.8 percent during the month, spurred by worries about persistent drought conditions in South America, while world wheat prices declined by 3.1 percent on the back of large harvests in Australia and Argentina. Lower harvests and steady purchases by Asian buyers led to a 3.1 percent monthly increase in international rice prices.

The FAO Meat Price Index increased slightly in January, with world bovine meat prices reaching a new peak as global import demand exceeded export supplies, while ovine and poultry meat prices softened as exportable supplies outstripped import demand. Pig meat quotations rose slightly, in part due to rising input costs dampening global supply.

The FAO Sugar Price Index was the only subindex to post a decrease in January, down 3.1 percent from the previous month due to favourable production prospects in major exporters India and Thailand, as well as improved rains and lower ethanol prices in Brazil.

FAO also updated its forecast for world cereal production in 2021, now standing at 2.793 million tons, a 0.8 percent increase from the previous year.

Global wheat output in 2021 is expected to be on par with 2020, while the production of coarse grains is projected to be 1.3 percent larger and that of rice to grow by 0.7 percent.

For 2022, global wheat plantings are expected to expand, buoyed by mostly conducive weather conditions in the northern hemisphere, although high input costs could deter a larger expansion. The outlook for maize is robust, with high prices pointing to record plantings in Argentina and Brazil.