World food prices rose "significantly" in November, reaching their highest point in more than two years, driven upwards by hikes in the international prices of meat products and vegetable oils, the World Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Thursday.
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 177.2 points over the month, up 2.7 percent from October and 9.5 percent from the same period a year earlier, FAO stated. The index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities,
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index rose by 10.4 percent in November, as palm oil price quotations rose amid robust global import demand, increased use for the production of biodiesels and expectations of possible supply shortages next year, the UN agency said.
Rapeseed and soy oil values also rose, said FAO.
The FAO Meat Price Index increased by 4.6 percent, its largest month-on-month increase in more than a decade. Price quotations for bovine and ovine meats rose the most, buoyed by strong import demand, especially from China ahead of year-end festivities.
Pig and poultry meat prices also rose, according to FAO.
The FAO Sugar Price Index rose by 1.8 percent from October, buoyed by mounting indications that world sugar consumption in the coming year will surpass production - which is being hampered by less-than-ideal growing conditions in Thailand, India, France and the United States of America.
The FAO Cereal Price Index, by contrast, declined by 1.2 percent amid stiff competition among the world's leading wheat exporters. Rice values also fell while U.S. maize export prices remained under downward pressure even as those for Argentina and Brazil were generally firmer.
The FAO Dairy Price Index rose marginally from October, nudging up as milk production in Europe entered its seasonal low and global demand remained strong.
