FAO Food Price Index remains virtually stable; Some improvements seen in Somalia

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its latest Food Price Index on Thursday, saying the Index "in November was virtually unchanged from its October level," an FAO press release reports, adding, "At the new level of 215 points, the Index was 23 points, or 10 percent, below its peak in February 2011 but remained two points, or one percent, above its level in November 2010" (12/8). The report "also pointed out that, despite some improvements in Somalia thanks to substantial humanitarian assistance and favorable rains, food insecurity is expected to remain 'critical' in drought-affected areas until the harvest of short-season crops in early 2012," the U.N. News Centre writes, adding, "In the Horn of Africa as a whole, food insecurity remained critical for some 18 million people" (12/8).