International wheat prices continued to ease in August, influenced by increased availability from ongoing harvests and the resumption of exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. By contrast, maize prices firmed mostly on strong demand for supplies from Argentina and Brazil amidst a tighter global supply outlook and pressure from energy markets. World rice prices held steady in August, as slight declines in quotations of the most widely traded “Indica” varieties compensated for the mild price gains in other rice market segments. Based on latest available data, FAO analysis indicates that a significant number of countries, particularly low‑income food importers, continued to face elevated levels of food prices in August. Upward price pressures slightly eased in areas where harvests were ongoing or recently concluded, but prices generally remained higher year on year from the combined effects of reduced domestic supplies, national macroeconomic difficulties, currency depreciation, localized insecurity and higher-than-normal fuel and fertilizer prices.