Climate crisis cooks up costly meals: Why your 'thaali' could be on fire

Uncharted Waters analysis contributes to Indian newspaper the Business Standard’s ‘Climate crisis cooks up costly meals: Why your 'thaali' could be on fire’ article.

Our analysis of 30 years of data revealed that India’s major wheat growing states often face significant crop loss if a cold snap is followed by a Spring heatwave - a likely scenario this year, given the combined impact of El Niño and climate change, but one that it might have avoided. While India is expecting a good wheat harvest in 2024 our analysis raises questions about India’s continued ability to produce enough wheat to meet the needs of a growing population in a changing climate.

India is the world’s second biggest wheat producer. While the majority of production is for domestic use, India is also an important source of wheat for countries in the region such as Nepal and Bangladesh, and was gradually increasing exports elsewhere - including UAE and Ethiopia - when it introduced an export ban in 2022 after a heatwave damaged harvests.