Expensive rice will pressure many of the world's households that rely on the grain. The problem with rice is that it's a staple, and rising prices could fuel discontent or, worse, food riots.
What's more alarming is that the Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index, which tracks international prices of the top traded food commodities worldwide, remains at levels associated with triggering the Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests across the Middle East in the early 2010s.