Focus on Thailand
Although rice production is holding steady, weather-related challenges are a constant worry for Thailand, which relies heavily on the crop as a food staple and export commodity. More than 60% of its agricultural land is allocated for rice farming, which is heavily dependent on water. Farmers typically grow rice twice a year during the wet and dry seasons. Production estimates for 2023-24 call for 19.9 million tonnes of rice, a 5% drop from 2022-23 due to reduced water availability during…