The month of September witnessed the fastest increase in global food prices in the last 18 months, with prices rising in all commodity groups, particularly sugar. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations revealed the results of the Global Food Price Index, which monitors the monthly changes in international food prices for food products. According to the FAO Food Price Index, September saw a 3% increase on a monthly basis and a 2.1% increase on an annual basis, reaching an average level of 124.4 points. This marked the fastest increase in global food prices in the last 18 months, led by sugar prices. The Sugar Price Index recorded the largest increase with a 10.4% rise in September. Concerns about Brazil’s diminishing harvest expectations and the lifting of restrictions on sugarcane use for ethanol production in India affecting the country’s exports played a role in this increase. The Grain Price Index, on the other hand, rose by 3% on a monthly basis in September, driven by the rise in wheat and corn export prices. The Vegetable Oil Price Index increased by 4.6% on a monthly basis, with increases seen in palm, soybean, sunflower, and canola oil prices. The international palm oil increase stemmed from lower-than-expected productions in major producing countries in Southeast Asia. The Milk Price Index increased by 3.8% on a monthly basis in September, while the Meat Price Index saw a 0.4% increase. The rise in meat prices was driven by the increase in demand for Brazilian products leading to a rise in chicken meat prices. The FAO revised its global cereal production estimate upwards for this year to 2,853 million tons, predicting that wheat production will increase by 0.5% this year compared to the previous year.