Pakistan, Oct. 4 -- Global food prices rose in September, approaching a four-year high, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday, led by increases in grains and sugar amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea.

The FAO's Food Price Index rose to a level of 136 points in September, up 2 points, or 1.5%, from August, the Rome-based UN said on Friday.

The Index, a key inflation indicator, is a monthly measure of global food prices compared to average prices between 2014 and 2016, which is set at a base level of 100. It reached its highest level since November 2022, but is still below a March 2022 peak, when it rose to a high of about 160 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We are seeing a pers...