Thumbnail Image

Food Outlook – Biannual Report on Global Food Markets

jun/21















Markets at a Glance

  • Wheat
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global wheat market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Coarse Grains
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global coarse grains market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Rice
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global rice market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Oilcrops, oils and meals
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global oilcrops market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Sugar
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global sugar market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Meat and meat products
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global meat market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Milk and milk products
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global milk market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.
  • Fish and fishery product
  • This report provides an analysis of the most recent developments in the global fish market, including a short-term outlook. Read it here.

Special features

Surging trade, record import bills and rising food prices: how the international food system kept a lid on a global health crisis

The special feature puts recent trends in global food trade under the spotlight, with particular focus on how commodity flows have measured-up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to widespread predictions of a collapse in global markets, recent data show that trade continues to reach new heights. With rapidly rising international food prices, alternative indicators to better capture this momentum are also presented. Read it here.

Food import bills

Against the background of fast expanding trade and a surge in food import bills, which has come to characterise much of the developments shaping global food markets in 2020/21, early forecasts for 2021/22 point to resilient food trade and a continuation of strong international prices amidst many supply and demand uncertainties.​ Read it here. Last updated date 15/06/2021 (typo corrected).


FAO. 2021. Food Outlook – Biannual Report on Global Food Markets: June 2021. Rome.




Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Technical report
    Food Outlook – Biannual Report on Global Food Markets
    jun/22
    2022
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    In view of the soaring input prices,concerns about the weather, and increased market uncertainties stemming from the war in Ukraine, FAO’s latest forecasts point to a likely tightening of food markets in 2022. Meanwhile, the global food import bill is on course to hit a new record high of USD 1.8 trillion, an all-time high, almost entirely on account of higher prices. Issued twice a year, Food Outlook offers FAO’s reviews of market supply and demand trends for the world’s major foodstuffs, including cereals, oilcrops, sugar, meat and dairy and fish. It also looks at trends in futures markets and shipping costs for food commodities. The new edition also contains two special chapters examining the role of rising prices for agricultural inputs, such as fuel and fertilizers, and the risks the war in Ukraine poses for global food commodity markets. Food Outlook is published by the Markets and Trade Division of FAO as part of the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). Food Outlook maintains a close synergy with another major GIEWS publication, Crop Prospects, and Food Situation, especially with regard to the coverage of cereals. Food Outlook is available in English. The summary section is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Technical report
    Food Outlook – Biannual report on global food markets 2025
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    Food outlook is a biannual publication (June and November) focusing on developments affecting global food commodity markets. FAO’s latest assessments indicate a relatively optimistic outlook for food commodity markets, with production and trade of all commodities, except sugar, anticipated to increase. However, this growth will have different impacts on stock recovery, influenced by the delicate balance between supply and demand. Global food commodity production remains vulnerable to weather conditions. Additionally, ongoing geopolitical tensions, uncertainties in policy developments, and potential retaliatory actions could negatively affect the trade outlook. In addition to market assessment, each edition contains a set of special features and market indicators. The June 2025 edition offers a feature article on economic impacts and trade implications of high pathogenicity avian influenza. Additional topics, such as changes in the trade flows following the start of the war in Ukraine, fertilizer update, economic drivers of fish fraud, and implications of decarbonization of the international maritime sector for net food-importing developing countries are also discussed. Overview of the market indicators summarizes developments on the futures markets, ocean freight rates, food import bill, and food price indices.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Technical report
    Food Outlook – Biannual report on global food markets
    November 2023
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.

    FAO's latest forecasts point to favourable production outlooks across most basic foodstuffs. However, global food production systems remain vulnerable to shocks, stemming from extreme weather events, and rising geopolitical tensions and policies, potentially tipping the delicate demand-supply balances, dampening prospects for international trade in food commodities and with implications for global food security.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical book
    Tackling Climate Change through Livestock
    A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities
    2013
    As renewed international efforts are needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the livestock sector can contribute its part. An important emitter of greenhouse gas, it also has the potential to significantly reduce its emissions. This report provides a unique global assessment of the magnitude, the sources and pathways of emissions from different livestock production systems and supply chains. Relying on life cycle assessment, statistical analysis and scenario building, it also prov ides estimates of the sector’s mitigation potential and identifies concrete options to reduce emissions. The report is a useful resource for stakeholders from livestock producers to policy-makers, researchers and civil society representatives, which also intends to inform the public debate on the role of livestock supply chains in climate change and possible solutions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (series)
    Flagship
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019
    Safeguarding against economic slowdowns and downturns
    2019
    This year’s report presents evidence that the absolute number of people who suffer from hunger continues to slowly increase. The report also highlights that food insecurity is more than just hunger. For the first time, the report provides evidence that many people in the world, even if not hungry, experience moderate food insecurity as they face uncertainties about their ability to obtain food and are forced to compromise on the quality and/or quantity of the food they consume. This phenomenon is observed globally, not only in low- and middle-income countries but also in high income countries. The report also shows that the world is not on track to meet global nutrition targets, including those on low birthweight and on reducing stunting among children under five years. Moreover, overweight and obesity continue to increase in all regions, particularly among school-age children and adults. The report stresses that no region is exempt from the epidemic of overweight and obesity, underscoring the necessity of multifaceted, multisectoral approaches to halt and reverse these worrying trends. In light of the fragile state of the world economy, the report presents new evidence confirming that hunger has been on the rise for many countries where the economy has slowed down or contracted. Unpacking the links between economic slowdowns and downturns and food insecurity and malnutrition, the report contends that the effects of the former on the latter can only be offset by addressing the root causes of hunger and malnutrition: poverty, inequality and marginalization.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical book
    Climate change and food security: risks and responses 2015
    Also available in:

    End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition are at the heart of the sustainable development goals. The World has committed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2030. But climate change is undermining the livelihoods and food security of the rural poor, who constitute almost 80 percent of the world’s poor. The effects of climate change on our ecosystems are already severe and widespread. Climate change brings a cascade of impacts from agroecosystems to livelihoods. Climate change impacts directly agroecosystems, which in turn has a potential impact on agricultural production, which drives economic and social impacts, which impact livelihoods. In other words, impacts translate from climate to the environment, to the productive sphere, to economic and social dimensions. Therefore, ensuring food security in the face of climate change is among the most daunting challenges facing humankind. Action is urgently needed now to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience of food systems to ensure food security and good nutrition for all.