Is a new global food supply threat looming? That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
A lack of rice could be the next big strain on the global food supply. Bloomberg says the challenge may come from a lack of rain in parts of India, which is, by far, the biggest rice exporter in the world. The drier weather has caused India’s rice planting area to contract to its smallest level in three years.
The threat to India’s rice production comes when countries across the world are struggling with the soaring cost of food and runaway inflation. The world’s total planted area for rice has dropped by 13 percent this season because of a lack of rainfall.
Traders fear diminished rice production will hurt India’s battle with inflation and trigger export restrictions. Billions of people around the world depend on rice and India accounts for 40 percent of the world’s rice trade. India’s government has already curbed exports of wheat and sugar to safeguard their food supply.
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Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.