Asia's Falling Rice Yields: What Threatens Our Rice Bowl? | Insight | Full Episode

The world is facing a food crisis. The U.N. World Food Programme warned that "a record 345 million acutely hungry people are marching to the brink of starvation”.

Rice is a critical crop in Asia, as the region consumes 90% of the rice produced worldwide. But the USDA estimates that rice production could decline 2% year-on-year, the first decline in seven years. In India and elsewhere, heatwaves and low water tables threaten the notoriously thirsty crop. In Thailand, rising sea levels have salted the paddy fields, leaving them less viable for rice planting. In Indonesia, the shortage of fertiliser is disrupting this year's planting cycles.

And all this against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which has drastically reduced the supply of other grains like wheat.

0:00 Introduction
1:28 Difficulties faced by rice farmer in India
4:27 Rice as a food staple in Asia
6:56 Why rice production in India is falling
12:00 How saltwater intrusion's killing rice in Asia
20:51 How rising rice prices affect consumers
23:28 Impact of fertiliser shortage on rice farmers
38:22 New rice varieties for extreme weather?
42:22 Can Asia substitute rice as a staple?

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ABOUT THE SHOW: Insight investigates and analyses topical issues that impact Asia and the rest of the world.
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