An ongoing drought in Thailand has resulted in a dramatic reduction in rice production. I am a bit late to notice this trend, only noticing it as the price of rice has been rising significantly (up over 50%) in the global markets. There is some indication that the drought in Thailand (and to a lesser degree in Vietnam) has been exacerbated by the 11 dams that China has build along the Mekong River. As China plans to build 10 additional dams along that same river, it would look like this trend is set to continue. Thailand was once the top exporter of rice in the global markets, but with the ongoing drought, its exports continue to plummet. Rice is the staple to half of the worlds population, with a 90% concentration in Asia.
These events in SE Asia has relevance, as we continue to monitor the potential impact of global warming on global grain production. Should dry conditions worsen in Ukraine and the Black Sea area of Russia as well, then grain prices could rise considerably, especially given the amount of money being printed by the main central banks of the world.
The impact of the opening of the Third Seal (Revelation 6:5-6) has yet to be truly felt. However, it would seem that this very slowly developing trend may soon start to be felt more keenly.