NNA - Food imports costs across the world are on course to hit a near $2 trillion record in 2022, piling pressure on the globe's poorest countries who likely shipped in considerably less volumes of food, the U.N. Food Agency said on Friday.

World food prices soared to record levels in March after Russia invaded Ukraine, a key grains and oilseeds producer, and while they have since retreated somewhat, they remain above last year's lofty levels.

The increase is disproportionately affecting economically vulnerable countries, and is expected to continue doing so next year even as the overall agricultural supply situation is set to improve a bit.

"These are alarming signs from a food security perspective," the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its twice-yearly Food Outlook report.

The world's food import bill is projected to reach $1.94 trillion this year, up 10% year-on-year and higher than previously expected, the FAO said.—Reuters 

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