Experts warn another global food crisis could be on its way
Experts are worried that the world is to face another food crisis, following droughts in the US and near the Black Sea, insidious hunger in the Sahel region of Africa and in India, weak monsoon rains. Keeping catastrophe at bay is Asia’s strong rice harvest with the G20 group trying to deflect the main threat of soaring food prices.
This year there has been a number of climate events which will mean poor harvests, said FNSEA’s Philippe Pinta, especially with corn in the US and soja in Russia. He predicts that this could see prices for wheat and rice double, as was seen in 2007-2008.
In India people are worried that food prices will be impacted upon by a weak monsoon, Samiran Chakraborty, Standard Chartered Bank regional head of research is reported to have said. According to the latest data from the India weather bureau the monsoon rains were 15.2% down on the mid-August average leading to rice prices expectant rise of as much as 10% as supplies tighten.
India is one of Asia’s leading rice exporters. Kuruppasserry Varkey Thomas, Indian Food Minister, this month told parliament that the conditions may affect the prospects or props and thus impact on the prices of essential commodities.
UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, despite the warnings, expect rice output to be better than last year, although the global forecast for unmilled rice production has been cut by the FAO from 732 million tons to 725 million.
We are currently feeling the start of the weather phenomenon El Nino, which is active in the west of the Pacific and has a natural warming effect. According the Japanese meteorologists, in the northern hemisphere the phenomenon is expected to last until winter. The farm belt in the US has suffered the worst drought since the 1950s.
