Global food prices continued rising for the second consecutive month in July, led by vegetable oils and dairy products, according to theFood and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Food Price Index. It averaged 94.2 points in July, a 1.2 percent increase from June and nearly 1 percent higher than July 2019.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index increased 7.6 percent since June to reach a five-month high, with international quotations for the key oils rising amid, in the case of palm oil, likely production slowdowns. Global import demand and protracted migrant labor shortages were notably “revived.”

The Dairy Price Index rose 3.5 percent in the month, with all products from butter and cheese to milk powders rising.

Meanwhile, the organization’s Cereal Price Index was “practically unchanged” from June, although maize and sorghum prices registered sharp increases, influenced by large purchases by China from the US. Contrastingly, rice prices fell, reflecting prospects of large 2020 harvests. Wheat prices changed little amid slow trade activity.

The FAO Sugar Price Index rose 1.4 percent, as strong sugar crush numbers from Brazil only partly mitigated the effects of rising energy prices and the prospects of lower sugar production in Thailand, due to a severe drought.

In contrast, the FAO Meat Price Index declined by 1.8 percent in July and averaged 9.2 percent below its level of July 2019. Pig and bovine meat quotations both fell in the month as global import demand volumes remained below export availabilities, despite the coronavirus-induced disruptions to the industry in key exporting regions. Poultry meat prices increased, influenced by production cuts in Brazil triggered by high feed costs and concerns over future demand.

Amid the volatile market conditions spurred on by the pandemic, the FAO Food Price Index was pushed down as world food prices dropped in February. The Food Price Index averaged 180.5 points in February, down 1 percent from the previous month but still 8.1 percent higher than a year earlier.

The FAO Food Price Index tracks international prices of the most commonly traded food commodities.