Fuel shortages from Iran war threaten Asia’s biggest food staple

A worker harvests rice in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on March 25
| Linh Pham / The New York Times
Threads
Email
Print
Bookmark story
Copy link
Harvest-ready rice fields are lying idle and farmers are deciding whether to skip planting for the coming season, as spiking fuel and fertilizer costs from the war in the Middle East hit one of the world’s biggest rice-growing regions.Across Southeast Asia, tens of millions of smallholders are struggling to find affordable crop nutrients as well as the diesel needed to run tractors, irrigation pumps and rice planters
In Thailand, some farmers are leaving the crop in the ground as it’s too expensive to harvest.The scarcity of supplies underscores how the six-week war in Iran has upended global trade and raised concerns around food shortages
As well as driving oil prices higher, the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz — which remains largely blocked despite a temporary ceasefire — has choked a vital route for fertilizer and fuel deliveries, with Asia particularly affected.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories
However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name
in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.

Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting
Japan team discovers why cats leave meals unfinished
Young people in Japan express lowest hopes for themselves and their country in poll
Chinese payment apps raise questions in Japan
Japan’s tighter immigration controls yielding results
Pakistani man arrested on suspicion of smuggling 270kg of stimulants into Japan
At 80, Yoshio Suzuki keeps chasing the possibilities of jazz
Sumo creates unity on an island famed for division
Pokemon store stabbing spotlights importance of treatment for stalkers
Please your palate with Tokyo’s international grocery stores
Beijing row highlights need for Japan to reduce cleantech dependence on China
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’
Why tanka poetry is clicking with a new generation
Inaka no Taiho: Chinese restaurant offers experience of ‘receiving life’
Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division.

Japan bets ¥632 billion to propel startup Rapidus into AI chips
47 mins ago
Japan gifts 250 cherry trees to U.S
to mark 250th birthday
53 mins ago
Bank of Japan wary of inflation pressure amid war in Middle East
1 hour ago
Woman arrested after two stabbed at Tokyo hotel
1 hour ago