With the very strong global recovery driven by consumption and therefore extremely dynamic demand, food prices are starting to soar; So these increases are contained on the shelves of supermarkets in Western countries for now.
franceinfo: Globally, this surge in prices is starting to cause concern. So how do we measure it concretely?
Isabelle Raymond: What makes reference at the international level is the index published every month by the FAO, the world agency attached to the UN, specializing in food and agriculture issues.
And according to the latest index published by the FAO, food prices have exploded?
Yes, according to the index for the month of November, prices have never been so high for 10 years; Since 2011. They have climbed 30% in one year. An increase which concerns above all wheat, vegetable oils, dairy products, and also sugar. So as usual, there are reasons linked to agricultural production as such: droughts, bad weather.
But soaring energy prices are also having significant effects. It blew up fertilizer prices in the process. In particular nitrogen fertilizers. To the point that some countries now prohibit their export to favor their own farmers. This is the case for Russia and China.
Also increases the competition between vegetable oils to consume, and those to use as fuel. Add to this the labor shortage in Malaysia, for example, which has resulted in low production of palm oils. And you have all the ingredients of sharply rising food prices.
And which countries are suffering the most?
All those who matter most, who produce nothing. They are the most worried because they are very exposed to world prices, and use a large part of their income to feed the population.
FAO takes Uzbekistan as an example. And take a close look at what it costs to make his national dish: plov made from rice, carrots, beef, onions and peas. Its price has increased by 30% in one year, which worries the FAO. And which makes the international agency fear a food crisis to come, when the pandemic is not yet behind us.