Peanut farmers in China are left with empty shells as extreme weather wreaks havoc on harvests in the world’s most populous nation.
Nutless pods are a consequence of alternating drought and excessive rains during key planting and growth periods. That’s bad news for China, the world’s biggest grower, after farmers already shrunk the planting acreage. The empty shells are one factor that could result in peanut output tumbling as much as 30% this season, according to analysts.
"I’ve never encountered anything like this in previous years,” said Song, a peanut trader in Shandong province, where a delayed harvest has just begun.