(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Milano, 6 mar - In February, globally-traded food commodity prices rose 0.9% compared to the revised January level and were 1.0% below their level a year earlier, according to the monthly food price index released by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

February marked the first monthly rise in the overall FAI Food Price Index in five months thanks to higher cereal, meat and vegetable oil prices.

The FAO Cereal Price Index was up 1.1% from January but 3.5% below its level a year earlier. World wheat prices rose by 1.8% in February, underpinned by reports of frosts and heightened winterkill risks in parts of Europe and the United States of America. Logistical disruptions in the Russian Federation and continuing tensions in the Black Sea region also contributed to the increase. The FAO All Rice Price Index edged up by 0.4% in February, supported by sustained demand for basmati and Japonica varieties.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index was up 3.3% month on month, reaching the highest level since June 2022. The increase was driven by higher prices of palm, soy and rapeseed oils, more than offsetting lower sunflower oil quotations.

The FAO Meat Price Index grew 0.8% from its revised January value and was 8.0% above its level a year earlier. The increase was largely driven by higher world bovine and ovine meat prices, while poultry and pig meat quotations registered only marginal upticks.

The FAO Dairy Price Index was down 1.2% from January and 19.2% below its level a year earlier. The February decline extends the downward trend that began in July 2025. The easing was mainly driven by a continued decline in cheese prices, particularly in the European Union, driven by improved milk availability, softer demand from key export markets, and intensified international competition, the report said.

The FAO Sugar Price Index was down 4.1% from January and dropped 27.3% from a year ago, marking its second consecutive monthly decline and its lowest level since October 2020.

"Expectations of ample global supplies in the current season continued to exert downward pressure on world sugar prices,".

it noted.

(RADIOCOR) 06-03-26 19:05:54 (0596) 5 NNNN