Global food prices up; risk of renewed increases in 2027

Global food prices have been rising, and analysts warn of a risk of another wave of increases in 2027 driven by a mix of conflict, higher production costs and climate extremes.

Data from the FAO show the global Food Price Index in September 2026 rose by 1.5 percent month-on-month and 5.8 percent year-on-year. Those movements reflect pressure across several commodity categories.

Supply risks, higher costs and transport disruptions

Experts point to wars, rising energy and fertilizer costs, disrupted transport links and extreme weather as the main factors that could push prices further upward. Higher production and logistics expenses, they say, may feed through into agricultural commodity prices.

At the same time, forecasts for global cereal production do not currently point to an unavoidable worldwide food crisis. Nonetheless, uncertainty about the course of conflicts and weather patterns keeps supplies vulnerable.

North Macedonia is exposed to movements on international markets and to higher import bills. Any spillover of global price rises into the domestic market would fall hardest on lower-income households, which spend a larger share of their income on food.

The final outcome, analysts say, will depend on how conflicts evolve, the success of harvests and the state of global trade flows in the coming months.

Photo: press material from the event