Prices of Rice Reach 15-Year High

Farm workers are seen at a paddy field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. (Reuters)
Farm workers are seen at a paddy field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. (Reuters)
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Prices of Rice Reach 15-Year High

Farm workers are seen at a paddy field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. (Reuters)
Farm workers are seen at a paddy field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. (Reuters)

The FAO All Rice Price Index rose by 9.8 percent in August from July to reach a 15-year nominal high, reflecting trade disruptions in the aftermath of a ban on Indica white rice exports by India.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 121.4 points in August, down 2.1 percent from July and as much as 24 percent below its March 2022 peak.

The drop reflected declines in the price indices for dairy products, vegetable oils, meat, and cereals.

The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 0.7 percent from July. Maize prices fell for the seventh month in a row to the lowest levels in three years amid ample global supplies of maize from a record harvest in Brazil and the imminent start of the harvest in the US.

The FAO Sugar Price Index rose by 1.3 percent from July, averaging in August as much as 34 percent higher than its value a year ago.

In August, dairy products prices declined 4 percent, recording a decline for the eighth month in a row, influenced by abundant supplies, especially from Oceania, and a slowdown in the pace of imports by China.

FAO also released a new Cereal Supply and Demand Brief, which forecasts that world cereal production in 2023 will increase by 0.9 percent from the previous year to reach 2.815 million tons, on par with the record output realized in 2021.



Saudi Ports See 13.61% Growth in Container Volume in March 2025

Saudi Ports See 13.61% Growth in Container Volume in March 2025
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Saudi Ports See 13.61% Growth in Container Volume in March 2025

Saudi Ports See 13.61% Growth in Container Volume in March 2025

Ports overseen by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) reported a 13.61% increase in handled containers in March 2025, reaching 699,928 TEUs, compared to 616,079 TEUs in March 2024. Exported containers saw a significant rise of 31.82%, reaching 280,341 TEUs compared to 212,672 TEUs, while imported containers increased by 7.78%, reaching 281,216 TEUs compared to 260,912 TEUs, SPA reported.
Transshipment containers decreased by 2.89%, totaling 138,371 TEUs, down from 142,495 TEUs in the previous year.
Total handled tonnage, encompassing general cargo, solid bulk cargo, and liquid bulk cargo, also saw an 8.69% increase, reaching 21,181,246 tons compared to 19,488,335 tons in the same period of 2024. This included 971,850 tons of general cargo, 4,515,924 tons of solid bulk cargo, and 15,693,472 tons of liquid bulk cargo.
Livestock arrivals at the ports reached 870,566, marking a 9.42% decrease from the 961,131 head recorded in the previous year.
Mawani's exported containers surged by 18.25% in February 2025, reaching 215,491 TEUs, a notable increase from the 182,229 TEUs handled in February 2024.