A new UN-backed report warns that severe droughts from 2023–2024 have sharply impacted sugar, rice, and coffee production globally. India and Thailand saw sugar output fall by over 12% due to extreme dry weather. The disruptions are linked to climate change and worsened by the El Niño phenomenon, leading to global food inflation and rising hunger risks.

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• India, Thailand sugar production down 12.4% in 2023–24 due to prolonged drought
• UN, US agencies link drought to climate change, overuse of land and water resources
• Global sugar, sweets prices up 8.9% in last year; US sees direct price rise
• Southeast Asia rice output hit; Indonesia faces shortages, imports to meet demand
• 21M Indonesian families received rice aid as food inflation surged
• Vietnam’s coffee harvest fell 20% due to heat, drought, pests; prices at record highs
• El Niño intensified drought, making climate impact worse across Asia, Africa, Latin America
• Drought now called a “silent killer” by UNCCD chief; worsens poverty, hunger, instability
• Report urges global action: early warning, water conservation, infrastructure upgrade
• Without action, future droughts may deeply threaten global food and economic systems