FAO reports monthly rise in world food prices

World food prices rose in September, contrasting with a fall during August, according to the latest report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN food agency.

The FAO’s food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 156.3 points in September, up a point from August.

The index has been sliding for most of the past 18 months, partly due to rising global supply, and is still hovering near an almost six-year low hit in August.