Hard Wheat

The latest Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Bulletin from GIEWS, released on December 9, reports mixed but low trends for global wheat prices in November. Benchmark US Wheat (No. 2 Hard Red Winter) prices fell slightly from October and remain nearly 10 percent below November 2015 levels. This decline was driven by higher 2016 production and ending stock estimates, as well as a strong US dollar; however, falling prices slowed somewhat due to unfavorable 2017 weather forecasts in several wheat-producing countries coupled with strong import demand.

The latest editions of the FAO Food Price Index and AMIS Market Monitor were both released on November 10. The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of five food commodity groups; the monthly AMIS Market Monitor covers the international markets for wheat, rice, maize, and soy and provides an overview of the market situation and outlook for each of these crops.

FAO’s October report on food price trends was released this week. The bulletin reports on recent food price developments over the past month at the global, regional, and country levels, with a focus on developing countries and provides early warnings for high country-level food prices that may negatively affect food security.

The latest edition of the AMIS market monitor, released on September 8, shows that the international price of wheat, maize, rice, and soybean has decreased since July. This decline has been driven by improved global crop prospects and plentiful export availabilities.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged nearly 162 points in October, up 3.9 percent from the previous month. This was the sharpest increase since July 2012, but the index is still down 16 percent from this time last year.