Interview With Mr. Abdolreza Abbassian - FAO Senior Economist

The world’s food import bill is rising despite large production and robust supply. The higher import bill is driven by increased international demand for most foodstuffs as well as higher freight rates. The livestock and dairy sectors are particularly dynamic. World output of oilseeds oils is expected to increase slightly this year after last year’s strong season. As well as providing detailed analyses of the production, trade and demand for major cereal and oilcrops, the Food Outlook updates trends for cassava, which has been one of the fastest-expanding staple crops at the global level and is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and maize. Tropical fruits are increasingly stars in global trade, with export volumes of mango, pineapple, avocado and papayas on course to achieve a total combined value of USD 10 billion this year, according to the Food Outlook.