Yields of a pantry-staple crop have declined in India, and it's leading to fears that demand can't be supplied in the country and exports will be halted.
What's happening?
As Reuters reported, drought followed by a deluge of rain has severely impacted sugarcane production in India, the second-largest sugar-producing nation in the world.
Farmers and industry officials believe that production will fall below consumption levels, stopping the possibility of exports until the season ends in September 2025.
"During the summer months, the cane crop faced prolonged stress due to the lack of water," president of the West Indian Sugar Mills Association B.B. Thombare said, per Reuters.
"When the monsoon season began, there was excessive rainfall and limited sunshine, which also adversely affected the crop's growth."
One farmer told the publication that they usually harvest 120 to 130 tons of sugarcane on one hectare, but in 2024, "yields have fallen to 80 tons despite all our efforts."
In addition to the low yields because of extreme, fluctuating weather conditions, farmers are also having to contend with red rot disease, which is caused by fungus and is further limiting crop harvests.
Why are low sugarcane yields concerning?
The main reason for the decreased crop production is extreme weather conditions. While these are nothing new, they are becoming longer, stronger, and more common because of human-caused global heating.
According to Statista, India was the third-highest polluting nation in 2023 in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, producing 3,062.32 million metric tons. This gas traps heat in the atmosphere, encouraging temperatures to rise and increasing the likelihood of droughts and floods.
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These adverse conditions will make sugarcane production more challenging, and that will impact supply in the country and worldwide, reduce economic prosperity through sugar exports, and put farmers at risk of losing income — and that's not even to mention the devastating impact of extreme weather on the wider population.
What can be done to reduce planet-warming pollution?
According to a report cited by The Hindu, India's climate policies are expected to reduce four billion tons of carbon dioxide between 2020 and 2030, with coal-based power in particular seeing a 24% drop.
Moving away from burning coal, gas, and oil for the production of energy is one of the most powerful tools we can utilize to reduce the production of planet-warming pollution — and we can even do this at home, reducing energy bills in the process.
Renewable sources, like solar, wind, and geothermal energy, do not produce heat-trapping gases that cause temperatures to rise, leading to a cooler climate that will reduce the risk of extreme weather conditions and make sugarcane production more prosperous.
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