International rice prices fell 2.5 percent in October, surpassing the 2.1 per cent decline in the world’s overall food prices, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) says.

In a statement released in Rome on Friday, the UN agency said the FAO Food Price Index averaged 126.4 points in October — down 2.1 points from the revised September level of 128.5 points.

The fall in rice prices reflected “intensified competition for markets and the start of main-crop harvests in several northern hemisphere exporting countries,” the FAO said.

Rice Stocks Seen Hitting New Peak This Year
For the 2025-26 marketing year, the FAO said world rice stocks were forecast to rise 2.2 percent to a new peak of 215.4 million tonnes. Global rice trade is projected to decline 1.2 percent to 61.1 million tonnes.

The Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) hosted by the FAO announced separately that the rice production outlook for 2025/26 was “essentially unchanged” from September — with slight upward revisions for Cambodia, South Korea and Sri Lanka offset by downgrades for Mali and Vietnam.

But rice utilisation for the year has been upgraded, “largely reflecting more buoyant food use expectations for various African countries,” the monthly AMIS Market Monitor said.

The AMIS report noted several factors putting downward pressure on rice prices in October.

“With little improvement in demand from key destinations, alongside seasonal pressure in some Asian exporters, weak sentiment continued to prevail in the international rice market,” it said.

‘Lowest Level since 2017’
Moreover, average rice quotations — as measured by the rice sub-index of the Grains and Oilseeds Index of the International Grains Council — fell to their lowest level since 2017.

“In Thailand, traders lowered their offers in an effort to stimulate sales ahead of main season crop arrivals,” it said.

“Indian white rice offers also softened amid slack demand, albeit as sales to Bangladesh provided some support to parboiled prices.

“New crop arrivals pressured prices in Pakistan, while an ongoing import ban in the Philippines continued to weigh on sentiment in Vietnam.” AKP

Published Date: November 9, 2025