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Naveen Thukral
Reuters
A rice paddy field on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian Kashmir, this month.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 5, 2026
Hot weather hurts Asian crops as powerful El Nino takes shape
Dry weather is disrupting crop planting across the world’s most populous region, and an expected severe El Nino weather pattern could inflict more damage.
A worker cultivates rice plants at a farm in Bangkok. Rice supply is expected to fall this year due to impacts of the Iran war and an emerging El Nino weather phenomenon that is set to usher in hotter, drier conditions.
BUSINESS
May 1, 2026
From surplus to strain: Iran war and El Nino threaten global rice supply
Rice is central to global food security, and even small supply disruptions can ripple through countries, raising prices and straining household budgets.
A farmer picks coffee beans at his plantation in West Java, Indonesia, on Aug. 2.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 14, 2023
World’s fourth largest coffee crop threatened by El Nino
Lower coffee output in Indonesia could trigger a steeper rise in prices, which have climbed more than 40% in 2023.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Aug 3, 2022
As wheat prices soar, the world’s consumers vote with their feet
As rising costs strain household budgets, protests have erupted across the world, with people taking to the streets from China and Malaysia to Italy, South Africa and Argentina.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 3, 2022
Wheat prices hit 14-year high as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupts supply from region
The conflict could devastate global grain markets so deeply that it’s likely to be the biggest supply shock in living memory.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 5, 2021
Rats, drought and labor shortages eat into global edible oil recovery
Malaysia is a microcosm of the difficulties facing producers of various edible oils across several continents, from Canadian canola farmers to Ukrainian sunflower growers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 2, 2016
Food security fears resurface in Asian as nations face rice shortage due to drought
Nearly a decade after a spike in global food prices sent shock waves around the world, Asia’s top rice producers are suffering from a blistering drought that threatens to cut output and boost prices of a staple for half the world’s population.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival