Food Assistance Convention

18 December 2023

PRESS RELEASE

FOOD ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE PRESS RELEASE

The 18th FAC Session was held in a hybrid format on Monday 18th December 2023 under the Chairpersonship of Ms Lauratuulia Lehtinen, Director for Humanitarian aid and policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland.

Parties of the Convention namely Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, European Union, Finland, France, Japan, Korea (Rep. of), Luxembourg, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States of America participated in the session.

The Committee reviewed the global situation regarding hunger, malnutrition and current food emergencies against the backdrop of recent developments, including the supply and demand outlook for global grains, rice and oilseeds markets.

The IGC Secretariat provided an update on the global grains market situation, which has seen divergent trends over the past twelve months as solid gains in rice prices were in contrast to falls in wheat. The latest trends in freight markets were also discussed, while special attention was paid to food security in Africa and Asia. Moreover, production for the 2023/24 season for rice, wheat and pulses were highlighted, as were some near and longer-term risk factors, including trade restrictions, the El Niño weather system, currency markets and climate change.