PARIS: World food commodity prices declined by 2.1 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year, mainly due to falls in cereals and sugar, the FAO said on Friday. Last year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organ­isation’s price index for cereals dropped 13.3 compared to 2023 and its sugar price index fell 13.2 percent. The decreases were offset in part by a 9.4-per cent rise in the vegetable oil price index. The United Nations’ food agency tracks monthly and global changes in the international prices of a set of globally traded commodities.