SINGAPORE/BANGKOK ¨C Rice supply is expected to fall this year as farmers cut planting acreage across Asia because of fertilizer shortages and soaring fuel costs resulting from the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, with an emerging El Nino also set to squeeze output of the world¡¯s most consumed staple.
Rice is central to global food security, and even modest supply disruptions can ripple through countries, lifting prices and straining household budgets, particularly among price-sensitive consumers in Asia and Africa. The U.N. Food and Agriculture ?Organization (FAO) in April forecast rice output would expand by 2% to a record high in 2025/26.
The effects of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø are impacting farmers in ?top exporters ?Thailand and Vietnam, as well as the import-reliant Philippines and Indonesia, growers and traders said. The war has cut fuel and ?fertilizer flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that connects the Persian Gulf to global markets.
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