Worldwide rice shortage looms, fueled by extreme weather, India rice export ban

India exports more rice than any other country, but last month it said it would ban some shipments in an attempt to prevent domestic prices from inflating. The move took about a fifth of international rice stocks off the market according to The Associated Press.

People living in poverty will be most affected as prices rise, food experts said. More than 140 countries buy rice from India, including Benin, Bangladesh, Angola, Cameroon, Djibouti, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Nepal, according to Reuters. They use non-basmati rice, the short-grain variety affected by the ban. Exports of long-grain basmati rice are not affected.

The move sent some U.S. customers into panic-buying mode. However that is unwarranted, as “there’s enough U.S. rice to go around,” the USA Rice Federation said in a statement after India’s announcement.

India’s ban was partly prompted by crop damage from late but heavy monsoon rains, Reuters reported. , The El Niño weather phenomenon, which arrived earlier than usual, could also affect production. While both Vietnam and Thailand hope to increase rice exports to help fill the gap left by India, Thai exporters are wary of the unpredictable effects of El Niño coupled with India’s apparent penchant for sudden moves.

In The Philippines, Typhoon Doksuri destroyed about $32 million worth of rice crops, 22% of the country’s annual yield. Other pressured rice-growing regions include the Horn of Africa, whose production has declined amid a years-long drought. In Kenya, higher fertilizer prices pushed up the cost of domestic rice beyond affordability for the most economically challenged.