El Nino May Slash Thai Rice Crop and Spur Inflation Across Asia
- Thai farmers asked to grow one crop this year instead of two
- It’s an early sign of the weather pattern hitting food output
The Thai wet season, which normally begins in the third week of May, will start a bit later this year with a period of intermittent rain in June, the Bangkok Post reported.
Photographer: Luke Duggleby/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Thailand, the world’s second-biggest rice exporter, is asking farmers to grow only one crop this year — instead of the usual two — as a likely El Nino looks set to reduce rainfall.
Rice is highly water-intensive and is dependent on irrigation and enough precipitation. It’s an early sign of how the disruptive weather pattern is threatening global food production. The resulting drop in rice output also has the potential to push up prices of a staple food for more than half the world’s population.