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China Is the Next Worry as Food Prices Soar



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PINGGU, China — From village to village, the wheat crops in China have been inconsistent this season.One field on the flat plains east of Beijing was patchy, with knee-high emerald stalks in some spots while almost bald elsewhere, damaged by the torrential rains of last autumn. The next village over, a luxurious wheat crop was thriving after this spring’s bright sunshine and slow, soaking rains.China’s winter wheat harvest next month is one of the big uncertainties in a global economy already struggling with high commodity prices, particularly in regions heavily dependent on crops from Russia and Ukraine. If the Chinese harvest is bad in the coming weeks, it could drive food prices up further, compounding hunger and poverty in the world’s poorest countries.Global food prices have already climbed sharply, with wheat up nearly 80 percent since July.It has been a perfect storm of war and weather.Russia’s invasion …

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