Asia's battle against hunger

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	Special edition July 9, 2022

	Feeding Asia: Inflation, COVID-19, climate, war drive food insecurity More than 1.1 billion people lacked access to adequate food in Asia last year as the pandemic, war and climate change stoked an escalating crisis in the world's most populous region, new U.N. research has warned. The latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report illustrates the far-reaching effects of the pressure on agricultural supplies, and lays bare the long-term food security risks that threaten the region's growing population. Take a look at our visually rich series on Asia's battle against hunger, in which we explore the imminent crisis in the world's most populous region -- and the efforts underway to feed more with less. Our first two articles released so far examine the spread of hunger, and illustrate the essentials emergency through the narrative of rising cooking oil prices in India. As always, the poorest are paying the highest cost. Hunger in Asia on the rise Over 424 million people faced hunger in Asia in 2021, but international food prices are expected to soar still further this year, driven by supply disruptions, higher agriculture input costs, and policy restrictions on exports and trade tariffs. This piece is the first in a Nikkei Asia series that will expose the scale and scope of the food problem across Asia -- and highlight potential solutions to feed its growing population in the decades to come. Read more. India's poorest scald as cooking oil prices soar Our second piece focuses on India's cooking oil crisis. As the world's largest importer of cooking oil reels from a steep ascent in prices, India's poorest are paying the highest cost for a problem long in the making and now turbocharged by events ranging from the war in Ukraine to policy changes in global trade. Moreover, India is reliant on imports for most of its cooking oil. The South Asian nation consumes nearly 25 million tons of cooking oil a year, but produces only about 11 million tons. That creates a big and growing problem for a country whose population is expected to surpass China's and hit 1.7 billion people in the next three decades. Read more.
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