在原油價格飆升至每桶100美元后，農業大宗產品價格昨日升至多年高點，因交易員預計來自日益擴大的全球生物燃料行業的需求將會增加。
Agricultural commodities rose to multi-year highs yesterday following crude oil’s surge to $100 a barrel as traders anticipated higher demand from the expanding global biofuels industry.
在芝加哥，小麥期貨價格上漲16美分至每蒲式耳9.31美元，距離其歷史高點59美分，而大豆期貨價格升至12.38美元，創下34年新高，玉米期貨價格距近期創下的11年高位僅咫尺之遙。
In Chicago, wheat jumped 16 cents to $9.31 a bushel, 59 cents below its all-time high, while soyabeans rose to $12.38, a fresh 34-year high, and corn traded within touching distance of its recent 11-year high.
在巴黎，油菜籽價格升至歷史高點，上漲1.5%至每噸444.75歐元，而馬來西亞棕櫚油期貨昨日上探每噸961美元的歷史高點。
In Paris, rapeseed prices rose to record levels, up 1.5 per cent to ?444.75 a tonne, while Malaysian palm oil futures also hit a record $961 a tonne yesterday.
由於糧食和油菜籽是生物燃料的關鍵原料，油價上漲給農業大宗商品價格帶來了巨大的推動力。2007年，農業大宗商品市場的回報水平為近30年來最高。標準普爾GSCI農業大宗商品指數去年的漲幅為31%，為1981年以來的'最佳水平。
As grains and oil seeds are key feedstuffs for biofuels, the oil price rise has exerted a huge push on agricultural commodities, which enjoyed their best returns for almost 30 years in 2007. The S&P GSCI agricultural commodities index returned 31 per cent last year, its best performance since 1981.
人口增長以及對動物飼料的需求也為農產品價格提供了支撐。
Support is also coming from population growth and demand for animal feed.
高盛(Goldman Sachs)大宗商品研究主管傑弗裡?柯里(Jeffrey Currie)表示：“在食品、飼料和燃料方面對農作物的需求混合在一起，造成了對農產品需求增長趨勢的上行變化。”
“This combination of food, feed and fuel demand for crops has created an upward shift in the trend demand growth for agriculture products,” said Jeffrey Currie, head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs.
他表示，到2010年，全球生物燃料需求可能從2005年的每年100億加侖增至每年250億加侖，摺合為年率每年增長20%。
He said global biofuel demand could increase from 10bn gallons a year in 2005 to 25bn gallons annually by 2010, an annualised growth rate of 20 per cent.
由於供應方面不盡人意及需求不斷上升，許多農產品市場的庫存水平降至歷史低點，這使得價格很容易受到上行衝擊的影響。
As a result of supply disappointments and rising demand, stocks have fallen to historic lows in many agricultural markets, leaving prices very susceptible to upward price shocks.
許多分析師認為，此輪農業大宗商品的上漲才剛剛開始。
Many analysts believe the rally for agricultural commodities is only just beginning.
