What's New

According to the May WASDE report , total global wheat production is projected at 737.8 million tons, the second highest total on record. Projections for global wheat consumption declined slightly this month, with increased food use being offset by reduced feed use. Global ending stocks are up from 2016-2017, at a record 258.3 million tons. U.S. ending stocks, on the other hand, are projected to decline 245 million bushels to 914 million, the lowest in three years.

Developing countries made considerable gains during the 2000s, resulting in a large reduction in extreme poverty and a significant expansion of the middle class. More recently, that progress has slowed—and the prognosis is for more of the same, given an environment of lackluster global trade, a lack of jobs coupled with skills mismatches, greater income inequality, unprecedented population aging in richer countries, and youth bulges in the poorer ones. As a result, developing countries are unlikely to close the development gap anytime soon.

How countries can grow

The FAO’s monthly report on food price trends was released last 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.

FAO recently released its latest Global Early Warning – Early Action (EWEA) report on food security and agriculture. The report is released quarterly, with this latest edition covering April-June 2017. The EWEA report provides an analytical summary of major disaster risks to food security and agriculture around the globe and aims to translate these forecasts and early warnings into action to mitigate or even prevent negative impacts on vulnerable populations.

The FAO Food Price Index continued its decline for the third month in a row, falling by 1.8 percent in April. The prices of all commodities covered by the Index declined in April, with the exception of meat; however, the Index remains 10 percent higher than its April 2016 level.