Rice supplies could be in danger from El Nino
Fein el roz?: The world is expected to experience a “major rice shortage” driven by El Nino’s extreme weather patterns, “potentially fuelling an international price crisis.” The Independent reports that hot weather and droughts brought on by El Nino continue to “affect production in India, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam, where 60% of the world’s rice is grown.” Samarendu Mohanty from the International Rice Research Institute says “the extent of this crisis all depends on what happens during the upcoming monsoon season. If it goes badly in India and Indonesia and the crops don’t get the rain, there could be real trouble ahead… At the moment it looks like the situation won’t be as serious as in 2008 but the countries affected must act more rationally this time rather than panicking.” To put things into perspective: Egyptians consume about 4.0 mn tonnes per annum, or approximately 44 kg of rice per person per year.