El Niño, India’s Rice Export Ban Cause Food Security Fears In SE Asia – Analysis

By Shailaja Neelakantan

In many Southeast Asian languages the word “eat” is used to mean “to eat rice,” because rice is the lifeblood of the region.

The grain provides 50% to 70% of the calorie intake for Southeast Asia’s people and the region accounts for 30% of the world’s rice harvest. 

But the staple...