World’s food supply faces new threat from lack of rain in India

印度降雨短缺，世界粮食供应面临新威胁

NEW DELHI: Rice could emerge as the next challenge for global food supply as a shortage of rain in parts of India, by far the world’s biggest exporter, has caused planting area to shrink to the smallest in about three years.

新德里：大米可能成为全球粮食供应面临的下一个挑战，因为作为全球最大的粮食出口国的印度，部分地区降雨短缺，导致大米种植面积降至约3年来最少。

The threat to India’s rice production comes at a time when countries are grappling with soaring food costs and rampant inflation. Total rice planted area has declined 13% so far this season due to a lack of rainfall in some areas, including West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, which account for a quarter of India’s output.

印度大米产量受到威胁之际，各国正努力应对不断飙升的食品价格和严重的通货膨胀。

由于西孟加拉邦和北方邦等部分地区降雨不足，今年迄今为止，印度水稻种植总面积下降了13%。

这两个地区的产量占印度总产量的四分之一。

Traders are worried that a drop in rice production will complicate India’s inflation fight and trigger restrictions on exports. Such a move will have far-reaching implications for the billions of people that depend on the staple. India accounts for 40% of global rice trade, and the government has already curbed wheat and sugar exports to safeguard food security and control local prices.

贸易商担心，大米产量下降将使印度抗击通胀的努力复杂化，并引发出口限制。这一举措将对数十亿依赖该主食的人产生深远影响。

印度占全球大米贸易的40%，政府已经限制小麦和糖的出口，以保障粮食安全并控制当地价格。

The jump in India’s rice prices reflect concern about output. Prices of some varieties have soared more than 10% in the past two weeks in major growing states such as West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh due to deficient rain and increased demand from Bangladesh, said Mukesh Jain, a director at Se Enterprises Pvt., a rice shipper. Export prices may climb to $400 a ton by September from as much as $365 now on a free-on-board basis, he said.

印度大米价格的跃升反映了对产量的担忧。大米托运公司Se Enterprises Pvt.的董事穆克什·贾恩说，过去两周，在西孟加拉邦、奥里萨邦和恰蒂斯加尔邦等主要大米种植区，一些大米品种的价格飙升了10%以上，原因是雨水不足和孟加拉国的需求增加。他说，到9月，出口价格可能从目前的每吨365美元(离岸价)攀升至400美元。

Most of the world’s rice is grown and consumed in Asia, making it vital for political and economic stability in the region. In contrast to the surge in wheat and corn prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rice has been subdued due to ample production and stockpiles, hel to ward off a bigger food crisis.

世界上大部分大米都在亚洲种植和消费，这对该地区的政治和经济稳定至关重要。与俄罗斯出兵乌克兰后小麦和玉米价格飙升形成对比的是，大米由于产量和库存充足，价格相对稳定，这有助于避免更大的粮食危机。

Much is riding on the rice crop in India and the monsoon’s progress. Some agricultural scientists are optimistic that there’s still time to continue planting and make up for some of the shortfall. Rain is forecast to be normal for August to September, which may improve crop output.

这在很大程度上取决于印度的水稻作物和季风。一些农业科学家乐观地认为，仍有时间继续种植并弥补部分短缺。据预测，8月至9月降雨正常，这或能提高农作物产量。

以下是印度时报读者的评论：译者：Jessica.Wu

Jayachandran Menon

We have still time of rains. Fairly good rainfall in the south overall. Hope if we restrict exports ,our rice requirements and inflation will be safe.

还有下雨的时候，整个南部降雨量相当可观。如果我们限制出口，我们的大米需求就能得到满足，通货膨胀就能得到遏制

Jigyasu

Let us first stop biofuel allocation.

首先停止生物燃料的配给。

0 0 • Reply • Flag

Now the free bee Netas and rice bags will say Modi is responsible for shortage of rain. Another Neta says it is Foreign hand that is causing floods in his state,!

现在有人会说莫迪要为雨水短缺负责。还有人会说，是外国人的操纵导致了他所在的邦发生洪水

Always Sach

Our IMD predicted normal rain, change the weather man first. South as usual, has more rains.

印度气象局预报降雨正常，先换天气预报员吧。南方和往常一样，降雨更多。

0 0 • Reply • Flag

Total rice planted areas has decreased for sure. Not because of insufficient rain but because of other reasons. May be affordability of crop cultivation issue

水稻总种植面积肯定减少了。不是因为雨水不足，而是其他原因，可能是农作物种植成本高，负担不起

User Kumar

Everywhere there are floods and Bloomberg goons get information that there is less rainfallll.........whats that

到处都发洪水，彭博社却得到了降雨量减少的信息，什么鬼啊

User

putting a fullstop for converting the agricultural land to non agricultural activities like develo vast agricultural land into residential layouts

将农业用地转变为非农业用地的行为要全面停止，比如将大量的农业用地开发成住宅

Eye Star

After many years South Bengal facing shortage of rain and so it is hammering rice production specially those varieties which are very popular In neighboring countries

多年来，孟加拉南部面临缺水问题，这严重影响了大米产量，尤其是那些在邻国很受欢迎的品种

Prakki Sayamurty

The whole problem is the growth of rice-consuming population in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia and neighboring countries. Their cities are growing and cultivable land is diminishing. Rainfall variability always exsted. Climate change is caused by anthropic activity which is proportional to the population.

问题在于孟加拉国、印度、巴基斯坦、斯里兰卡、尼泊尔、印度尼西亚和邻国的稻米消费增长。他们的城市在扩大，可耕地在减少。

降雨差异一直存在。气候变化是由人类活动引起的

1 0 • Reply • Flag

“Poverty is just a state of mind” said the then ruling party’s Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in August 2013

2013年8月，当时执政党国大党的副主席拉胡尔·甘地说：“贫穷只是一种心态。

0 0 • Reply • Flag

Mass deforestation, lack of regard for the environment and illitrate and corrupt politicians in policy making positions have lead to this disaster

大规模的森林砍伐，对环境的破坏，以及在决策岗位上的文盲腐 败政客导致了这场灾难

Anish Kumar

What happened to the project to connect rivers so that excess water in one part of the country could be diverted to areas where rainfall is less. So much rain water is wasted and flows uselessly into the sea. When are we going to learn rain water harvesting?

把各条河流连接起来的项目怎么了

该项目是为了将某一地区多余的水转移到降雨量较少的地区。

如此多的雨水被浪费，流入大海。

我们什么时候能学会蓄集雨水?

5 0 • Reply • Flag

Our people here have learned to blame anything and everything on modi. It is as if india has taken respinsibility to feed world’s hunger. One has to blame him if sufficient food is not avaiable to this ever bulging pooulation. Hatsoff to this article.

我们已经学会了把任何事情都归咎于莫迪。印度似乎已经承担起了解决世界饥饿问题的责任。如果印度不断膨胀的人口得不到足够的食物，人们不得不责备他。

1 4 • Reply • Flag

If he doesn't want to blamed, he should take his Jhola and go. No one forced him to become PM.

如果他不想受责备，他应该下台，没有人强迫他当总理。

Mohar Sanyal

It has been reported that rain is deficient to the extent of 40 p.c. in gangetic west Bengal, and hence affected paddy sowing , which is a significant rice producer. This cannot be fully made up, even if the rainfall compensates in the second half of the monsoon . So the fact is of great concern.

据报道，在恒河流域的西孟加拉邦，降雨不足的程度达到了40ppm，因此影响了水稻播种，这是一个重要的水稻种植邦。

即使降雨在季风的后半段有所补偿，这也无法完全弥补。

所以这个事实非常值得关注。

0 0 • Reply • Flag

Why blame only rain. Why not stop rising population and converting farm land in to residential and Industrial area?

为什么只怪降雨。为什么不控制人口增长，遏制把农田转为住宅区和工业区的做法？

Sainath

Rice procurement stopped by center is also a major culprit as Rice bowls of India (Southern States) are advised not to plant rice due to non purchase by great minds ruling India

印度政府停止大米采购也是一个主要原因，印度(南部邦)被建议不要种植大米，种了也不会被采购

1 0 • Reply • Flag

The threat to world's food supply must be signal from nature about the begng of the arrival of climate change. People must not depend on water based food grains and must become accustomed to consume food grains that are available as substitute for rice and wheat. But incidentally they are healthier also.

对世界粮食供应的威胁是大自然发出的信号，表明气候变化开始到来。

人们不应只吃那些种植需要大量水的粮食，应该转而消费其他粮食。顺便说一句，这些粮食也更健康。

Vishal Raj

Bihar should stop sending vegetables and crops out of state and Jharkhand should stop all minerals supply out of state.

比哈尔邦应该停止向外运送蔬菜和农作物，贾坎德邦应该停止向外供应矿产。

User

Stop selling to CHINA , problem solved.

停止向中国出售粮食，问题解决。