India's sugar cane is too dry and consumers will pay the price

Résumé détaillé

Low rainfall hits sugarcane crops in India as farmers grapple with rising fuel and fertiliser costs.

On the outskirts of Mysuru in India's south, sugarcane is cut, bound, and thrown onto carts headed for nearby factories.

Phailwan Venkatesh watches his workers hack at the cane under a baking sun.

The stalks should be fatter, the 63-year-old says, and should not snap so easily.

India is the world's second-largest sugar producer and its biggest consumer. But this year, a record-setting El Niño weather system has sent warm ocean conditions across the Pacific, weakening the monsoon season.

The lack of rainfall in July and August meant Phailwan's sugarcane crop struggled to grow.

It compounded an already perilous situation for the farmer, who has had to fork out more for fertiliser due to global conflicts.

Bhargabi Bharadwaj, an expert in food system risks at Chatham House, says India's sugar production has not crashed, but uncertainty is adding to a general strain.

"The immediate impact of a climate disruption is often just a price shock rather than a physical shortage, but rising prices can quickly threaten food affordability and economic stability," she explained.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, global sugar prices rose by 6.6 per cent in October — the fourth consecutive monthly rise, hitting the highest level since April last year.

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