Expert predicts grain price recovery

Higher world populations and changes in dietary patterns are leading to a steady increase in food demand which will impact positively on world grain prices, according to a leading international analyst.

Dr Andrée Defois from Strategy Grains in France told the Teagasc national tillage conference in Carlow that severe yield reductions in the main exporting countries has led to an increase in world and Irish grain prices.

She said world prices, having bottomed out at the turn of the century, are projected to display a slow and moderate recovery over the medium term as supply adjusts and global demand strengthens.