Global food prices hit four-year high in September: FAO

Global food prices rose in September to their highest level in nearly four years amid disruptions to logistics and concerns over weather conditions, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136.0 points in September, up from a revised 134.0 points in August and reaching its highest level since November 2022.

The FAO benchmarks for cereal, sugar and vegetable oil prices increased 5.1 percent, 6.1 percent and 0.9 percent from last month respectively, while meat and dairy prices declined 1.1 percent and 0.1 percent month on month.

FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, combined with climate shocks, were putting pressure on energy, transport and key food commodities.

If sustained, such pressures could eventually be passed on to consumer food prices, particularly in countries dependent on food and energy imports, Torero said.

Concerns over a severe El Nino weather pattern pushed international sugar prices to an 18-month high, while disruptions to Black Sea trade amid the conflict drove wheat futures to a three-year peak in early September, according to the FAO.

The FAO forecast global cereal production in 2026 at 2.979 billion metric tons, broadly unchanged from its previous forecast. The figure is 2.1 percent below the 2025 level but would still be the second-highest on record.

The FAO also cut its forecast for global cereal trade in 2026/27 by 0.7 percent from September, citing lower expectations for wheat and maize exports amid constrained shipping routes in the Black Sea.

Global food prices hit four-year high in September: FAO

China continued to lead global car sales, accounting for nearly one-third of worldwide deliveries in the first eight months of the year, according to data from the World Automobile Organization, as emerging markets drove overall growth in the global auto industry.

Data released by the organization showed that 63.43 million passenger cars were sold from January to August. Of that total, China accounted for 20.31 million units, or 32 percent of global sales.

The United States ranked second, with 10.94 million passenger cars sold, accounting for 17.2 percent of global sales. By contrast, auto sales in Europe remained largely flat or edged lower over the same period.

China's global market share has been climbing since 2022 and reached a record high in 2025.

During the first eight months of the year, worldwide passenger car deliveries rose 2 percent year on year, powered by robust performance across emerging economies.

India posted a 20-percent increase in car sales, Vietnam's market jumped 28 percent, Thailand registered a 16-percent gain, while Russia recorded a 6-percent rise.

China continues to lead global car market