YOUR THAALI IS ON FIRE

EARTH DAY SPECIAL: As the climate blows cold and hot, it puts wheat, milk, coffee, and even Hilsa in peril

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE & SHREYA JAI

Despite the cheery news of a normal monsoon this year, all forecasts have a similar warning: It is ☐ going to be a harsh summer.

Between April and June, there will be more than 10-20 extreme heatwave days, double of last year, says the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The mercury is expected to touch a new high, both at maximum as well as minimum temperature, and scientists are of the view it will breach the limits of human survivability.

Apart from the human body, human food will bear direct repercussions. From staples such as wheat, to coffee, dairy, and even the great Hilsa face the threat of reduced supply due to the extreme heat.

This year, though, wheat, one of the main cereals grown during the rabi season, has escaped the wrath of a scorching summer as most of the crop was already harvested or in a growth stage where heat did not affect the yields much.

But fears remain.

Due to the heat wave, not only will your vegetarian and non-vegetarian thaali cost more, it could also taste different. Besides, the markets expect a spike in prices and a shift in the existing supply chains.

Scorching fields

Extreme heat conditions in parts of India, starting March, make wheat most vulnerable. Veggies follow closely.

India is the world's second-biggest wheat producer as well as consumer.

Recent research by Uncharted Waters, a not-for-profit organisation that has compiled 30 years of data, says a cold winter followed by a hot spring can depress wheat yields by roughly 20 per cent in important producing states. This is a far greater reduction than in consistently hotter or colder years.