Authorities have asked farmers to restrict rice planting to a single crop to conserve water. Read more at straitstimes.com.
BANGKOK – Thailand is preparing contingency plans to deal with a potential drought that could last years and squeeze global supplies of sugar and rice.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-cha has asked state-run power utility Electricity Generating Authority and the Office of Natural Water Resources to help draw up contingency plans to conserve water. So far in 2023, the nation’s rainfall has been 28 per cent below the same period last year, according to official data.
If El Nino turns severe, it could shave off 0.2 percentage point of gross domestic product this year because drought conditions could coincide with seasonal production in the second half, especially for rice, Mr Paracuelles said. The bigger, global impact from below-average rainfall in Thailand will be the hit to crops such as sugar and rubber, and could even threaten the nation’s position as the world’s second-biggest supplier of rice. Shipments tumbled a third to 7.6 million tonnes in 2019, the first year of the previous El Niño.
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