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We face a looming rice crisis
The future of one of the world’s most important foodstuffs is mired in a stew of science, politics and economics.
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The grain, harvested from a semi-aquatic grass, is a staple food for over half of the world’s population.
PHOTO: AFP
Anjana Ahuja
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There is more to rice than meets the fork. The grain, harvested from a semi-aquatic grass, is a staple food for over half of the world’s population. Many countries in Asia have strategic rice reserves: In 2025, Japan dipped into its national stockpile for the first time since the 2011 tsunami, to counter panic-buying and soaring prices.
Nations are chasing self-sufficiency, with China this week announcing a 10-year agricultural masterplan for domestic food security. Indonesia has earmarked an area the size of Jamaica on the eastern fringe of its sweeping archipelago to develop new rice farms.
