Panic buying, lockdowns may drive world food inflation - FAO, analysts

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks at an empty shelf with a sign announcing the rationing of toilet paper to one pack per person at a Rewe grocery store in Potsdam, Germany, March 20, 2020, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic could ignite world food inflation even though there are ample supplies of staple grains and oilseeds in key exporting nations, a senior economist at FAO and agricultural analysts said.

The world's richest nations poured unprecedented aid into the global economy as coronavirus cases ballooned across Europe and the United States, with the number of deaths in Italy outstripping those in mainland China, where the virus originated.