What the media isn’t saying about how the Iran war is hurting Indian livelihoods and economy
· Scroll
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In early April, a series of unseasonal rain damaged crops in several parts of the country. When I spoke to Charanpreet Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan, about his losses, he ended the conversation by expressing hope for a better kharif season.
One question in particular was weighing on his mind – would he be able to purchase urea and diammonium phosphate in time to use it optimally? He was worried because the supply of liquified natural gas from West Asia had dwindled after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in March, in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.
Since the gas is a crucial raw material for fertilisers, domestic production is likely to remain vulnerable and supply will be limited.
It took me a few moments to switch my focus from the question of extreme weather to that of the Iran war.
At Scroll, we had been covering various dimensions of the war in West Asia, including its impacts on India’s energy security and the fate of migrant workers. But as I moved from one story to another, with the news cycle, I had unconsciously bucketed the war and climate change as separate subjects. Singh’s livelihood, however, did not allow him that – clearly, his crops were going to be affected by...