Climate change, heatwaves, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have led to a significant increase in global commodity prices.
According to the World News Agency, this was revealed in a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sugar prices recorded a 5.6% increase during July.
The report said that the global food price index rose to 131.1 points in July 2026, the highest level since January 2023.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, global cereal prices increased by 3.4% in July, while wheat prices alone increased by 5.8%. Birds
The report said that as a result of the historic heatwave in Europe in June, about 9 million tons of various crops including wheat, barley, maize and oats were destroyed. Which further affected global supply.
According to the report, severe heat waves affected wheat production in several of the world’s major agricultural countries, while rising tensions between Ukraine and Russia also led to disruptions in grain exports via the Black Sea.
In addition, the damage to the export infrastructure caused by the attacks between Russia and Ukraine and disruptions in shipping also increased pressure on the global market. Birds
According to the FAO, continued hot and dry weather in the European Union, concerns about a rapidly intensifying El Nino and new regulations in Brazil to increase the blending of ethanol in gasoline increased demand for sugar.
Similarly, edible oil prices rose by 2 percent, which was attributed to increasing demand for biodiesel in Indonesia and high crude oil prices.
The report also mentioned tensions related to Iran. About a third of the world’s fertilizer shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the closure of which has affected fertilizer supplies and costs and increased agricultural production costs.
On the other hand, global meat prices fell by 2.8 percent in July, the first monthly decline this year. Prices of poultry, pork and beef also fell, but further price declines were limited as livestock production slowed due to extreme heat.
Milk and dairy product prices also fell by 0.7 percent, mainly due to lower prices of butter and milk powder.
The FAO has warned that the impact of rising raw food prices on the world market will be passed on to consumers in the coming months as suppliers pass on their rising costs to retail prices.
Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Program has also warned that due to the effects of El Niño, another 50 million people could suffer from severe malnutrition and hunger by the end of next year, which is likely to further worsen the food crisis in already affected poor countries.