KEY MESSAGES
↗ International cereal prices followed mixed trends in August. Wheat prices surged as production prospects deteriorated significantly in several major producing countries. Among coarse grains, reduced production forecasts also boosted barley prices, while maize and sorghum prices continued to decline from their multi‑year highs reached in May. International rice prices remained on a downward trajectory in August, influenced by efforts to attract sales and by currency movements.
↗ In East Africa, prices of coarse grains generally increased in August, especially in countries where first/main season harvests dropped sharply. Prices were generally higher than one year earlier, with exceptionally high levels still prevailing in the Sudan and South Sudan.
↗ In West Africa, solid domestic demand amidst constrained market availabilities hindered by supply chain bottlenecks and locally volatile security conditions exacerbated seasonal upward trends in the prices of domestically produced coarse grains, which lingered at levels well above their year-earlier values.