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The Middle East Conflict Caused Global Food Prices to Rise in March 2026

Adi Ahdiat 07/04/2026 11:52 WIB

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According to the FAO report, the global food price index rose in March 2026, affected by the increase in energy prices triggered by conflicts in the Middle East.

The Global Food Price Index by Month (January 2021 - March 2026)

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The Global Food Price Index by Month (January 2021 - March 2026)

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The United States-Israel war against Iran that broke out since the end of February 2026 triggered a rise in energy prices, which subsequently drove up global food prices.

This is evident from the World Food Situation report for April 2026 released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Every month, FAO routinely compiles a Food Price Index to measure changes in the average price of staple foods globally.

Assuming a base year of 2014-2016 = 100 points, FAO found that the global food price index in March 2026 reached 128.5 points.

The index in March 2026 rose by 2.4% compared to the previous month (month-to-month/mtm), and reached its highest level since the beginning of the year.

"The price index across all commodity groups - namely cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, and sugar - rose at varying rates," said FAO in its report.

"This not only reflects the fundamental conditions of the market, but also is a response to the rise in energy prices associated with the escalation of conflict in the Middle East," it continued.

Despite the increase, the global food price index in March 2026 is still not as high as in 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine. At that time, the index reached 160 points, as shown in the chart.

If broken down by commodity, the biggest increase occurred in sugar, whose price index rose by 7.2% (mtm) in March 2026.

"The increase in sugar prices in March was largely influenced by higher international crude oil prices, raising expectations that Brazil, the world's largest sugar exporter, will rely more on sugarcane-based ethanol during the upcoming harvest," said FAO.

A significant increase also occurred in vegetable oils, whose price index rose by 5.1% (mtm) in March 2026. This index was driven by rising prices of palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil.

"International palm oil prices reached their highest level since mid-2022 and surpassed soybean oil, largely reflecting the effects of a sharp rise in crude oil prices, coupled with lower-than-expected production forecasts for Malaysia," said FAO.

Meanwhile, the increase in the price index of other food commodities in March 2026 was relatively mild, with cereals rising by 1.5% (mtm), dairy products rising by 1.2% (mtm), and meat rising by 1% (mtm).

Editor : Adi Ahdiat

"Disclosure: This is an AI-generated translation of the original article. We strive for accuracy, but please note that automated translations may contain errors or slight inconsistencies."

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The Middle East Conflict Caused Global Food Prices to Rise in March 2026

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