INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
As scorching temperatures ravage farms from the US to China, crop harvests, fruit production and dairy output are all coming under pressure
That extreme weather is just one of threats to food supplies that are once again mounting around the world.This week, top rice exporter
pattern that may cause further damage to agriculture.A farmhand sows rice saplings in a flooded paddy field in Bhivpuri, India, July 20.All
of this is renewing concerns about food security and prices, creating a risk that rampant inflation on supermarket shelves will stick around
That would be a fresh blow to consumers, who were just starting to see some better news after a long-running squeeze on household
Europe that cows are producing less milk and tomatoes are being ruined
conditions for growing crops were at their worst in more than three decades in June, before the Midwest got some rain relief
Prices for rice in Asia recently reached a two-year high as importers built up inventories.While the full extent of the damage will depend
on how long the unfavorable conditions persist, there are already clear signs of destruction in fruit and vegetables in southern Europe,
which supplies much of the continent
In Sicily, some tomatoes have ominous-looking black rings, the result of a so-called blossom end rot, when extreme weather renders plants
billion), according to farmers group Coldiretti.The temperatures have sped up ripening or caused heat burns on everything from grapes to
melons, apricots and aubergines
Bazzana, an agronomist at Coldiretti
Top wheat exporter Russia is set for another bumper crop
But uncertainties are piling up
In an apt illustration, wheat fluctuated throughout the week in response to a flurry of news from the Black Sea
It rose on the collapse of export deal, before slipping back, then rose again as Russia threatened ships sailing to Ukraine ports
white rice to put a lid on inflation
Retail rice prices in Delhi are up about 15% this year while the average nationwide price has gained 9%, according to data from the food
The government may extend the restrictions to other rice varieties, Nomura Holdings Inc
Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand is asking farmers to limit rice planting to only one crop this year amid drought risks
In China, high temperatures will likely force the early ripening of the crop, impacting yields
President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for greater efforts to secure grain security, state television reported.Parts of the US are
experiencing similar strains
While rainfall levels have improved after hot and dry conditions earlier this year, the weather is expected to flip again across the Midwest
next week and into early August, just as corn and soybean crops go through critical development stages, said Arlan Suderman, chief
commodities economist at brokerage StoneX.The Department of Agriculture forecasts that durum wheat output will fall 16% this year, with
other spring varieties down 1%
The market will know just how bad the situation is when crop scouts hit the fields for the annual spring wheat tour in North Dakota next
week.Transport issues may compound the food security concerns
Water levels on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers are falling for a second straight year, raising the prospect of shipping problems on crucial
Welsh, a food expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington
executive of CoBank, a cooperative bank that works with rural businesses across the US
