The United Nations' world food price index dipped in December against November levels, led lower by a drop in international sugar quotations, but still showed a robust gain year-on-year, data showed on Friday.

World food commodity prices declined by 2.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, the FAO said on Friday, but they remain considerably higher than before the Covid-19 pandemic.Food prices also remain considerably higher -- roughly 26 percent -- than they were five years ago.

Prices slipped in December, driven by cheaper sugar, dairy products and vegetable oils, but remained near 19-month highs, according to a United Nations food price index.

Global food commodity prices rose almost 7% in December, according to the latest FAO data, rounding off 12 months when the organisation’s index fell year on year. The FAO Food Price Index increased 6.