ROME -- World food commodity prices made a significant leap in March to reach their highest levels, as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to push up energy costs and cause supply chain slowdowns.

The monthly food prices index, released Friday by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), rose 12.6 percent to reach 159.3 points in March, compared to a baseline of 100 points for the average in 2014-2016 (adjusted for inflation.)

This is by far the highest total in the history of the index, which was launched in its current form in 1990.