KEY MESSAGES:

• Global wheat prices decreased in August 2024, mostly reflecting weak international demand and larger production estimates in some major exporters. Regarding maize, concerns about crop conditions and prospects of tighter export supply contributed to slightly firmer international prices. International rice prices increased, although mixed price trends across origins and varieties kept the August increase modest. 
• In several FAO-monitored countries, domestic staple food prices remained at high levels in July and August 2024. In South Sudan and the Sudan, food access continued to be highly constrained as prices of coarse grains reached new record highs in an environment of protracted conflict, tight domestic supply and persistent macroeconomic difficulties. In Southern Africa, food prices remained under upward pressure, amid supply shortages following the drought-reduced 2024 cereal harvests and weak currencies.