A rice shortage is sending prices soaring across the world

Rice prices surged to their highest in almost 12 years, after India’s rice export ban and adverse weather conditions dented production and supplies of Asia’s primary staple food, according to the UN’s food agency. Other than India, food inflation has been relatively tame in Asia so far this year. But a confluence of factors is stoking fears that shortage of rice supplies could mark a return to a broad increase in the prices of other food commodities in Asia.

tips

soar 翱翔

surge 汹涌澎湃（原意是自下而上升起）

adverse 不利的；敌对的；相反的

dent 凹下去

staple 订书钉；主食；主要部分

tame 驯服；温和

confluence 合集；人群

stoke 煽动；激起

commodity 农产品