FAO Food Price Index broadly stable in May even as cereal quotations increase in Commodity News 06/06/2026 The benchmark measure for world food commodity prices remained broadly stable in May, as declines in vegetable oil quotations offset increases in those for cereals and sugar, according to new data released Friday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 130.8 points in May 2026, down 0.2 percent from its revised April level and 2.9 percent higher than its year-earlier level. “While global food commodity markets have remained broadly resilient, rising cereal prices underscore vulnerability to weather-related risks and disruptions in energy and input markets. Continued uncertainty affecting key trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, could reduce fertilizer use and place additional pressure on food prices, highlighting the need for coordinated international action,” said Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of FAO’s Markets and Trade division. The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 2.6 percent from April and was nearly 5.0 percent higher than a year ago, reflecting higher prices across all major cereals amid higher fuel and fertilizer costs globally and weather-related pressures. World wheat prices rose 3.4 percent on the month – and 7.8 percent from their year-earlier level – supported by smaller expected harvests in major exporters, including the United States of America, where winter wheat crop conditions are among the least favourable in decades. U.S. Hard Red Winter wheat prices in May 2026 were 28 percent higher than in May 2025. Maize prices rose 1.9 percent – 3.9 percent annualized – on the back of stronger import demand in key markets, tighter availability in Brazil and the United States and firmer energy prices that boosted ethanol-related demand. The FAO All-Rice Price Index increas