A local farm worker unloads a Ukrainian-made fertilizer truck for use on a wheat field near the village of Yakovlivka after it was hit by aerial bombardment outside Kharkiv, as the attack of Russia against Ukraine continues, April 5, 2022. REUTERS / Thomas Peter

PARIS, June 9 (Reuters) – Soaring costs of agricultural inputs such as fertilizer could deter producers from increasing production and worsen food security in poorer countries facing record import bills, the United Nations food agency said Thursday.

An index of input costs for farmers was at a record high and had climbed more sharply than food prices over the past year, suggesting low prices in real terms for many farmers, the Organization said. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a report.

“The results do not bode well for a market-led supply response that could potentially dampen further food price increases for the 2022/23 season and possibly the next,” FAO said. .

Rising input costs, linked to high energy prices and supply disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have coincided with record food prices this year, such as measured by the FAO World Food Index. Read more

High prices are expected to push the global food import bill up nearly 3% this year to a record $1.8 trillion, according to FAO forecasts.

However, many developing countries were expected to reduce the volumes of food imports in response to rising prices, with the FAO predicting that least developed countries would reduce their volumes so sharply that they would reduce their overall import bill.

“These are alarming signs from a food security perspective that importers will find it difficult to finance rising international costs, potentially heralding the end of their resistance to rising prices,” he said. .

Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

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