What's New

In its latest Monthly Food Price Watch, FEWS NET reports that global rice production for 2012/2013 is expected to be the highest on record. Global soybean production prospects also improved with a 10 percent increase for 2012/2013; however, strong global demand is expected to keep soybean and soybean oil prices high. While global wheat prices remain high, production is only expected to decline by six percent. However, trade policies in key wheat exporting countries could exert further pressure on prices.

FEWS NET has released its April Food Price Watch, citing stable prices throughout much of Africa and Central America. The Sahel region saw relatively stable cereals prices due to food assistance interventions and successful transport from surplus areas. In East Africa, staple prices remained generally stable, though high; some areas in this region saw seasonal increases.

Read the full report.
Read the Annex.

The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has released its monthly crops outlook. The reports track US and international production, stocks, and trade data for major commodities and agricultural goods. The April reports cite an anticipated reduction in US soybean acreage due to a surge in corn planting; Brazil and Argentina also saw reductions in their estimated soybean production due to drought. These reductions could bring global soybean export levels down by 4 percent.

FAO has released the latest global Food Price Index, citing a 1% increase in food prices in February. Despite this increase, the Food Price Index for February remains 10% below its peak in February 2011.

GIEWS has released crop prospect reports for maize for both Argentina and Mexico, citing deteriorating 2012 crop prospects due to recent dry weather. Despite this reduction, production in Argentina is still expected to be average. Mexican production is expected to be below the five-year average but still higher than the poor 2011 crop.

Download the report for Argentina .

Download the report for Mexico