Global Food Security At Crossroads As Rice Shortages And Surging Prices Hit The Most Vulnerable

(AP) Countries worldwide are scrambling to secure rice after a partial ban on exports by India cut global supplies by roughly a fifth.

Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat and the El Nino weather phenomenon hampers rice production.

Now, rice prices are soaring, and it’s putting the most vulnerable people in some of the poorest nations at risk.

Vietnam’s rice export prices, for instance, have reached a 15-year high.

Even before India’s restrictions, countries already were frantically buying rice in anticipation of scarcity later when the El Nino hit, creating a supply crunch and spiking prices.