World food prices climb in April

World food prices rose some 1.5 percent in April, with a jump in dairy and meat prices helping offset a fall in cereal quotations, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also issued its first forecast for global cereal production this year, seeing a record output for 2019 following a decline in 2018.

FAO’s food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 170.1 points last month against an upwardly revised 167.5 points in March.

The March figure was previously given as 167.0. The index in April was at its highest level since last June, but still some 2.3 percent below its level of one year ago.

The FAO dairy price index jumped 5.2 percent from March’s value, its fourth successive monthly rise, driven by strong import demand for butter, whole milk powder and cheese.

The meat price index rose 3.0 percent month-on-month, pushed higher in part by a rise in pig meat quotations following a surge in import demand in Asia, notably China, where the rapid spread of African Swine Fever has impacted the local market.