World food prices fell for the third consecutive month in April, hit by the economic and logistical impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 165.5 points last month, down 3.4 per cent on March.

The FAO sugar price index fell to a 13-year low, plunging 14.6 per cent from March, with the coronavirus crisis hitting demand and tumbling crude oil prices also reducing the need for sugarcane to produce ethanol, the Rome-based agency said.

The vegetable oil price index fell 5.2 per cent, while the dairy index dropped 3.6 per cent.

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