Shafaqna English– Crop planting throughout Asia is being disrupted by dry weather, which has raised concerns about food supplies for the most populated region on Earth. Adding to the risk, an intense El Nino is expected to bring additional damage.
According to farmers, analysts, and traders, hot weather and below-average rainfall are damaging crops and pushing farmers to cut back on planting across a wide stretch of Asia — from India’s grain-producing northwestern plains to Australia’s eastern wheat belt, and from Thailand’s rice paddies to Indonesia’s vast palm oil plantations.
The dryness caused by El Nino deals a double blow to farmers who were already struggling with shortages of fertilizer and diesel resulting from the war in Iran.
Source: Reuters