It said that it was the first time the index had fallen for
a full year.
FAO’s broad Food Price Index slipped to 2.1 percent in
March, and it is now down to 20.5 percent since reaching its all-time peak one
year ago after a big surge following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Grains and cereals, the largest component in the index, was
down to 5.6 percent compared to the previous month and down by 18.6 percent
over the last 12 months.
Among the grains and cereals, wheat prices fell the most,
dipping 7.1 percent as exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea assuaged market
fears.
Corn prices were 4.6 percent lower due to strong production
in South America, while rice prices were 3.2 percent lower, due to data from
harvest prospects in India, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Prices of vegetable oils were down by 3 percent in March and
a staggering 47.7 percent compared to March 2022 figures.
Dairy prices, meanwhile, were down by 0.8 percent,
contributing to a decline of 10.7 percent compared to a year earlier, and meat
prices inched 0.8 higher in March but were still down by 5.3 percent over the
last 12 months.
FAO said that the softening demand and adaptations to global
supply chain obstacles, such as increased competition between suppliers, were
the main factors pushing prices lower over the last year.
The main exception to that trend was sugar prices, which
rose by 1.5 percent in March, reaching their highest level since October 2016.
In spite of the falling prices, FAO officials have repeatedly
warned in recent months that fuel supply issues and other market uncertainties
threaten many of the world’s poorest nations.
FAO’s Food Price Index is based on worldwide prices for 23
food commodity categories covering prices for 73 different products compared to
a baseline year.