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STORY: FAO / FOOD PRICE INDEX
TRT: 04:29
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY / ARCHIVE
16 SEPTEMBER 2024, COTONOU, BENIN
1. Wide shot, food market
14 AUGUST 2025, DÜZCE PROVINCE, TÜRKIYE
2. Close up, food price tag
3. Wide shot, man buying food in a market
FILE, ROME, ITALY
4. Wide shot, FAO headquarters
5. Zoom in, FAO logo
7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“For the third consecutive month, the FAO Food Price Index has increased. The increase this month of April is 1.6 percent with respect to March, and 2 percent more with respect to the same month a year ago. Now what this means. It means that prices of the inputs costs are starting to be transmitted to the commodity prices, but at a very low pace. The major increase is happening on vegetable oils, which is linked to biofuels, which is a 5.9 percent increase with respect to the previous month and a very slight increase in the in the wheat price and also in the corn price, corn has increased 0.7 percent.”
23 JULY 2025, HUNGARY
7. Med shot, sunflower field
16 OCTOBER 2025, SHOLGARA DISTRICT, BALKH PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
8. Med shot, soybean oil being poured into a container
9. Close-up, soybean oil being poured into a container
21 JUNE 2022, NOVI SAD, SERBIA
10. Close-up, wheat field
7-11 NOVEMBER 2022, PUNJAB INDIA
11. Med shot, women at work in a field
6-12 JULY 2025, COTACACHI, ECUADOR
12. Med shot, Indigenous female farmers clean organic corn
13. Close up, Indigenous female farmers clean organic corn
7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“The problem is that because of the significant increase in inputs costs, which in some cases like urea is 70 percent, natural gas 40 to 50 percent, the same with oil and sulphur is that farmers will have to make choices. And the choice basically it is to plan with less inputs and that will reduce yields, or to switch to biofuels or to switch to commodities, which can fix more nitrogen.”
17-20 JULY 2022, VIGO, SPAIN
15. Wide shot, cargo ship navigating
16. Med shot, ship entering in the port
2023, GUINEA BISSAU
17. Tilt up, bags of urea fertilizer
18. Close up, FAO logo
21-22 OCTOBER 2024, MIFTA EL KHEIR, MAURITANIA
19. Close-up, FAO Officer training a farmer
16 SEPTEMBER 2024, COTONOU, BENIN
20. Wide shot, tractor ploughing a corn field
21. Close up, farmer seeding a corn field
7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“First, on the short term recommendations, the first thing is to avoid export restrictions on energy or fertilizers. This is central right now. Second, we need to accelerate and be prepared in terms of social protection programs in case food prices start to rise significantly. And third, we need to help humanitarian response by helping them on the logistical part, because they are being significantly impacted because of the increase in energy cost”.
23 MAY 2022, NETRAKONA PROVINCE, BANGLADESH
23. Wide shot, farmers sorting rice
JANUARY 2026, GUMBO, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN
24. Wide shot, farmers harvesting cowpea pods
JULY 2017, THARAKA NITHI COUNTY, KENYA
25. Med shot, farmers ploughing a field
31 OCTOBER 2024, BUTALEJA DISTRICT, UGANDA
26. Wide shot, farmers in a field harvesting millet
7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“In the medium term, the recommendation is to ensure that farmers can survive because their margins are very small. And also, to create financial facilities, or fast tracks, like the Food Shock Window of the IMF that was based on [FAO] Import Financing Facility, that will help countries that need in urgency, because of the crop calendar, to have access to inputs.”
21-22 OCTOBER 2024, MIFTA EL KHEIR, MAURITANIA
28. Pan right, FAO Officer checking a solar panel powering an irrigation system
29. Med shot, farmer filling a watering can
23-28 FEBRUARY 2025, BINAYI TRIVENI RURAL MUNICIPALITY, NEPAL
30. Various shots, women packaging organic fertilizer
7 MAY 2026, ROME, ITALY
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“In the long term, continue with the acceleration of the improvement of the energy mix and move that also to the agrifood system, especially to irrigation. And also start to focus on innovation, on science, to create alternatives, and that will take time. But we will require investment to create alternatives to chemical fertilizers. And also we need to improve our access to infrastructure so that we can have capacity to resist this type of shocks through availability in other locations that are not linked directly to these straits in the future.”
25 OCTOBER 2022, COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
32. Wide shot, man buying food at the vegetable market
33. Close up, costumer buying food
14 AUGUST 2025, DÜZCE PROVINCE, TÜRKIYE
34. Wide shot, man buying food in a market
FAO Food Price Index rose in April for a third consecutive month amid elevated energy costs and disruptions caused by the conflict in the Near East, according to the latest release by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The benchmark of world food commodity prices which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 130.7 points in April, up 1.6 percent from its revised March level and 2.0 percent higher than a year ago.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“For the third consecutive month, the FAO Food Price Index has increased. The increase this month of April is 1.6 percent with respect to March, and 2 percent more with respect to the same month a year ago. Now what this means. It means that prices of the inputs costs are starting to be transmitted to the commodity prices, but at a very low pace. The major increase is happening on vegetable oils, which is linked to biofuels, which is a 5.9 percent increase with respect to the previous month and a very slight increase in the in the wheat price and also in the corn price, corn has increased 0.7 percent.”
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 5.9 percent from March, reaching its highest level since July 2022. The rise was driven by higher prices of palm, soy, sunflower and rapeseed oils. International palm oil prices rose for the fifth consecutive month in April, largely underpinned by prospective stronger demand from the biofuel sector, supported by policy incentives in several producing countries and higher crude oil prices. Additional upward pressure stemmed from concerns over lower production in Southeast Asia in the coming months.
The FAO Cereal Price Index rose by 0.8 percent from March and was up 0.4 percent from a year ago, reflecting higher prices across major cereals, except sorghum and barley. World wheat prices increased by 0.8 percent, due to concerns over drought in parts of the United States of America and a higher likelihood of below-average rainfall in Australia. The increase was further reinforced by expectations of reduced wheat plantings in 2026, with farmers shifting to less fertilizer intensive crops amid high fertilizer prices – driven by elevated energy costs and disruptions associated with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global maize prices increased by 0.7 percent, underpinned by seasonally tighter supplies and weather-related concerns in Brazil, as well as dry conditions affecting sowing in parts of the United States of America. Additional upward pressure came from firm ethanol demand amid elevated crude oil prices and ongoing concerns over fertilizer affordability. By contrast, world sorghum prices dropped by 4.0 percent, largely due to weaker global import demand and improved supply prospects in key producing and exporting countries.
The FAO All Rice Price Index rose by 1.9 percent in April, driven by higher Indica and fragrant rice prices, reflecting increased production and marketing costs in most rice-exporting countries following the surge in the prices of crude oil and its derivatives.
FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero warned that soaring input costs are forcing farmers to reduce yields, threatening global food availability into 2027.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“The problem is that because of the significant increase in inputs costs, which in some cases like urea is 70 percent, natural gas 40 to 50 percent, the same with oil and sulphur is that farmers will have to make choices. And the choice basically it is to plan with less inputs and that will reduce yields, or to switch to biofuels or to switch to commodities, which can fix more nitrogen.”
As fertilizer prices spike, the FAO is calling for an end to export restrictions and an urgent boost to social protection for vulnerable nations.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“First, on the short term recommendations, the first thing is to avoid export restrictions on energy or fertilizers. This is central right now. Second, we need to accelerate and be prepared in terms of social protection programs in case food prices start to rise significantly. And third, we need to help humanitarian response by helping them on the logistical part, because they are being significantly impacted because of the increase in energy cost”.
In the medium term, Torero recommends emergency financial tools, similar to those put in place by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the start of the conflict in Ukraine to help farmers afford soaring inputs costs.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“In the medium term, the recommendation is to ensure that farmers can survive because their margins are very small. And also, to create financial facilities, or fast tracks, like the Food Shock Window of the IMF that was based on [FAO] Import Financing Facility, that will help countries that need in urgency, because of the crop calendar, to have access to inputs.”
Beyond the immediate trade and production concerns, FAO is urging a global shift toward innovation. This includes using solar energy instead of fuel to power irrigation systems, finding alternatives to chemical fertilizers and infrastructure improvements to help food systems adapt to international shocks.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, FAO:
“In the long term, continue with the acceleration of the improvement of the energy mix and move that also to the agrifood system, especially to irrigation. And also start to focus on innovation, on science, to create alternatives, and that will take time. But we will require investment to create alternatives to chemical fertilizers. And also we need to improve our access to infrastructure so that we can have capacity to resist this type of shocks through availability in other locations that are not linked directly to these straits in the future.”
The FAO Meat Price Index reached a new record high in April, rising by 1.2 percent from March and 6.4 percent from a year ago. World bovine meat prices climbed to a new peak, underpinned by higher export quotations in Brazil amid limited supplies of slaughter-ready cattle, reflecting ongoing herd rebuilding. Pig meat prices also rose, driven by firmer quotations in the European Union amid rising seasonal demand, though partly offset by lower prices in Brazil due to ample supplies.
By contrast, the FAO Dairy Price Index declined by 1.1 percent from March, mainly reflecting lower international quotations for butter and cheese amid abundant milk supplies in the European Union and stronger-than-expected late-season output in Oceania.
The FAO Sugar Price Index also dropped, down 4.7 percent from March and as much as 21.2 percent from a year ago. The decrease was largely driven by expectations of ample global supplies in the current season, reinforced by improved prospects in key Asian producing countries, notably China and Thailand. The start of the new harvest in Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, further contributed to the downward pressure on sugar prices.
