Southeast Asian food prices are expected to soar due to climate change

According to a study on the effects of climate change, a 1 per cent increase in temperature can cause food prices in Thailand to rise by up to 2 per cent

Thailand’s Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) and the ASEAN Food and Beverage Alliance (AFBA) recently met to go over the conclusions and suggestions from the AFBA report, “Climate Change and Food Prices in Southeast Asia.”

The study, which was released in association with Oxford Economics, looked at how climate change affected food production costs and pricing in five Southeast Asian nations: the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

The analysis found that a 1 per cent increase in temperature might raise food costs by 1 per cent to 2 per cent in four countries and by up to 6 per cent in the Philippines, said OAE deputy secretary general Kanjana Kwanmuang .

Additionally, research discovered that policies like carbon taxes, clean energy transitions, and other environmental measures that aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 might increase food prices by 31–59 per cent because of increased gasoline and electricity costs.

Experts from the OAE and AFBA discussed the effects of climate change on agriculture during the meeting, including decreased crop yields, an increase in plant diseases and pests, and changing growing seasons.

In order to address these issues, Kanjana described Thailand’s plans, which include creating the Agricultural Action Plan (2023–2030) to lessen the effects of climate change.

She also mentioned the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry’s efforts, including the creation of the Agricultural Productivity Enhancement Learning Center, the extension of irrigation systems over 40 million rai (6.4 million hectares), and the proactive management of land through the Agri-Map platform.

According to a study on the effects