Organic News 3

WORLD DROUGHT
Severe Droughts Drive Food Prices Higher
Food prices rose again sharply threatening the health and well-being of millions
of people. Africa and the Middle East are particularly vulnerable, but so
are people in other countries where the prices of grains have gone up abruptly.
Global food prices soared by 10 percent in July
from a month ago, with maize and soybean
reaching all-time peaks due to an unprecedented summer of
droughts and high temperatures in both the United States
and Eastern Europe, according to the World Bank Group’s
latest Food Price Watch report.
From June to July, maize and wheat rose by 25
percent each, soybeans by 17 percent, and only
rice went down, by 4 percent. Overall, the World Bank’s
Food Price Index, which tracks the price of internationally
traded food commodities, was 6 percent higher than in July
of last year, and 1 percent over the previous peak of February
2011.
ood prices rose again sharply threatening the
“Fhealth and well-being of millions of people,”
said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Africa
and the Middle East are particularly vulnerable, but so are
people in other countries where the prices of grains have
gone up abruptly.”
Overall, food prices between April and July
continued the volatile trend observed during
the previous 12 months, which halted the sustained increases
between mid-2010 and February 2011. Prices increased in
April, came down in May and June, and sharply increased in
July.
10 WWW.ORGANICNEWS.EU