A photo shows ears of grain in a field in Dortmund, western Germany on July 10, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Global food commodity prices rose slightly in July, driven by higher prices for cereals, sugar and vegetable oils, while lower meat and dairy prices partly offset the increase, according to a report released Friday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 131.1 points in July, up 0.6 percent from June and 1.0 percent higher than a year earlier. However, it remained 18.2 percent below its record high reached in March 2022.

The FAO said the cereal price index rose 3.4 percent month on month. Wheat prices climbed 5.8 percent amid concerns over disruptions to Black Sea exports and heatwaves affecting major producing regions, while maize prices increased 3.6 percent due to hot and dry weather in parts of the U.S. Corn Belt and stronger energy markets. Rice prices remained broadly stable.

The vegetable oil price index gained 2.0 percent to its highest level since June 2022, supported by stronger palm oil prices on robust biodiesel demand in Indonesia and higher crude oil prices, as well as firmer soybean oil prices, the report said.

Sugar prices rose 5.6 percent from June, reflecting concerns over hot and dry weather in Europe, adverse weather risks in major Asian producing countries, and expectations that Brazil's higher ethanol blending requirement would divert more sugarcane to ethanol production, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the meat and dairy price indices fell 2.8 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, said the report.

The FAO said global food prices remain well below the peak recorded in 2022, but geopolitical tensions and extreme weather continue to put upward pressure on prices of some agricultural commodities.