Dry conditions across South and Southeast Asia have led international agricultural agencies to forecast rare declines in global production. The benchmark price for Thailand's 5% broken white rice reached $499 a ton, hitting its highest mark since December 2024. Meanwhile, Chicago rough rice futures have climbed over 80% since the start of the year despite price drops in corn and wheat. Rising costs are now hitting consumer markets, with Philippine retail prices jumping 21% year-over-year.
Key points
Drier conditions linked to El Niño are disrupting harvest yields across leading producer…: Drier conditions linked to El Niño are disrupting harvest yields across leading producer nations like India and Thailand.
The US Department of Agriculture projects that global rice output will decline this seaso…: The US Department of Agriculture projects that global rice output will decline this season for the first time in over a decade.
Escalating wholesale grain costs are translating into higher consumer food expenses acros…: Escalating wholesale grain costs are translating into higher consumer food expenses across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
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(Bloomberg) -- A benchmark Asian rice price climbed to the highest in almost two years, threatening to accelerate food inflation as the El Niño weather pattern disrupts production of the staple grain.
Farmers across much of Asia are in the midst of harvesting the grain, and drier-than-usual weather has proven a hurdle for crops in growers like India, the world’s leading exporter. Global production is expected to decline this season for the first time in over a decade, the US Department of Agriculture forecasts.
That’s pushing prices higher, with 5% broken white rice from Thailand — another major shipper — rising to $499 a ton as of Wednesday, the highest since December 2024, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association. Rough rice futures in Chicago are also up more than 80% since the start of the year.
Those gains come even as prices decline for other major grains, including corn and wheat. The El Niño weather phenomenon underway is one of the most powerful on record and linked to drier conditions across much of South and Southeast Asia, where more…
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