Grain / cereals
Updated
What it is
Grains, or cereals, such as wheat, maize and rice, are the world's staple foods. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization tracks their world prices monthly, and it forecast 2026 global cereal production at 2,979 million tonnes.
Why it matters lately
Cereal prices are rising again. FAO's cereal index rose 2.2 percent in August 2026, with wheat up 2.6 percent and maize up 2.5 percent, and cereals rose again in September. FAO pointed to the Middle East conflict, Black Sea disruption and bad weather, while fertilizer costs, forecast by the World Bank to rise 31 percent this year, raise the cost of the next crop.
Asymmetric Analytics view
Inference (AA): It is the graph's main food-price node, linking fertilizer, energy and shipping disruption to global food inflation.