WFP chief economist: 'We're worried' about rice prices

The rising cost of rice is an ominous sign that echoes the food crisis of 2008, when it became the crop with the biggest impact on food security, particularly in West Africa, the World Food Programme’s chief economist told Devex.

Last month’s floods in Pakistan could exacerbate things. The country, previously the fourth-largest rice exporter, will soon become a net importer because so many fields were wiped out, Arif Husain said. This, along with the current global shortage of fertilizer, will increase strain on global rice supply, he said. 

“Right now we’re keeping a very close eye on rice,” Husain said.

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