Soaring Food Prices
农产品价格大涨
Agricultural commodities prices exploded on Friday, threatening higher global food prices, after the US government forecasters slashed grains production estimates after adverse weather damaged crops worldwide.
美国政府预测粮食产品受全球范围的恶劣天气影响将大幅减产，随后周五农产品价格急速上升，这可能会提高全球食品价格。
The price movements of up to 12.5 percent were among the worst since the 2007-08 food crisis as traders scrambled for supplies amid warnings of dwindling inventories.
农产品价格涨幅最高达到12.5%，这是自2007—08 年食品危机以来涨幅最大的一次。
They followed a warning from the US Department of Agriculture that stocks of corn and barley, the feedstocks of the meat industry, would “fall dramatically” with US corn stocks forecast to hit a 14-year low.
由于不断传来库存下滑的警告，交易员正在疯狂地寻求货源。此前，美国农业部警告，肉类行业的饲料——玉米和大麦库存将“大幅下降”，其中美国玉米库存预测将达到14 年低点。
“The combined shortfalls in the US, Europe, Russia and Ukraine present a much tighter supply picture than just a few months ago,” the USDA said.
美国农业部表示：“现在美国、欧洲、俄罗斯和乌克兰纷纷传来农产品供给告急的消息，供应状况远比几个月前紧张。”
The warning raised the prospect of a repetition of the 2007-08 food crisis, when the cost of agricultural commodities hit record highs and food riots rocked emerging countries.
这番警告让人们仿佛看到2007—08 年食品危机即将重演，当时农产品价格屡创新高，食品骚乱冲击新兴国家。
The share prices of meat companies, which rely on cheap corn, were down. Tyson Foods fell 7.8 per cent.
依赖廉价玉米的肉类公司股价下跌。泰森食品股价大跌7.8%。
“This revision highlights that we are in a fragile supply and demand situation,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, senior economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.
联合国粮农组织驻罗马的高级经济学家阿普杜勒礼萨·阿巴斯安表示：“粮食危机有可能卷土重来，这说明我们的供需状况非常脆弱。”
In Chicago, main agricultural commodities surged to daily fluctuation limits imposed by exchange rules.
在芝加哥，主要农产品的价格波动幅度达到了交易规定的上限。
Traders, unable to use futures because of the daily limits, bid indicative corn prices to $5.60 a bushel in the options market, up 12.5 percent.
由于日波动限制而无法利用期货的交易员，在期权市场上将指示性的玉米价格炒至每蒲式耳5.60 美元，上涨12.5%。
European wheat prices jumped by 10 per cent while the cost of other key commodities, including soyabean, sugar, cotton, barley and oats, also surged.
欧洲小麦价格上涨10%，其他关键农产品，包括大豆、蔗糖、棉花、大麦和燕麦的价格也大幅飙升。
The agricultural rally, coupled with stronger oil and metals prices, propelled the Reuters-Jefferies CRB commodities index to a two-year high.
石油、金属和农产品价格的上涨促使路透-杰佛瑞大宗商品期货价格指数升至两年高点。
