Special correspondent
NEW DELHI: Ukraine’s wheat exports have been mostly halted since Russia’s invasion, while drought has damaged crops in India, East Africa and the U.S.
Now China’s harvest is uncertain. In March, the country’s agriculture minister said the wheat crop would be the worst on record because of torrential rains last fall.
The country’s coronavirus lockdowns have interrupted farming and delayed fertilizer imports. High energy prices have reduced global fertilizer production, and many farmers around the world are using less, contributing to smaller harvests.
Background: Wheat prices are up nearly 80 percent since July. Regions that rely on Russian and Ukrainian crops are dealing with particularly high commodity prices, like Germany, where food costs are driving record inflation.
Stakes: China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of wheat, and its nervousness about its own stocks could ripple through the global supply chain. A poor harvest could further increase global food prices, compounding hunger and poverty.
In India, lower wheat production has resulted in lower procurement and hence the Centre is supplying rice instead of wheat to the states.
