SINGAPORE ¨C Dry weather is disrupting crop planting across Asia, raising concerns about food supplies in the world¡¯s most populous region, and an expected severe El Nino weather pattern could inflict more damage.
From India¡¯s grain-producing northwestern plains to Australia¡¯s eastern wheat belt, and from Thailand¡¯s rice fields to Indonesia¡¯s vast palm oil plantations, hot weather and below-normal rains are hurting crops and forcing farmers to reduce planting, farmers, analysts and traders said.
El Nino-driven dryness is a double blow for farmers already grappling with fertilizer and diesel shortages caused by the Iran ?war.
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