A vicious heat wave raging in Southeast Asia has resulted in smaller crop yields and spiraling costs in Thailand, severely threatening the country’s agricultural output.

Thailand’s agricultural sector has long been a backbone of the country's economy, and employs around one-third of the country's labor force. Around 60 percent of agricultural land in Thailand is for rice farming and this cash crop has made the country the world's second-largest exporter.

It is expected that Thailand will see a paddy rice drop of 3.5 million tons this year, the highest amount in ASEAN.

Risks brought by heatwave and drought are pushing Thailand's more than 12 million farmers closer to a breaking point where just one failed harvest can lead to unsustainable levels of debt.

For the past few weeks, sun has been brutal. The dangerous and record-smashing heatwave have sent the temperatures in cities to more than 44 degrees Celsius. Farmers said no commercial crop can tolerate the extreme heat, and nothing is spared -- not cassava, not sugar cane, coconuts, or even the durian—the king of fruits.

"This year is the worst. There is no water in the canal for agriculture in our area. Planting will be delayed again. Farmers are faced with more and more problems," said Saman Fakkiao, a local rice farmer.

Experts said this is not only a major concern for Thailand’s agricultural sector, but a concern for global food security.

"In the next few decades where the temperature will be increased by around 1 up to 2°C, the rice production will drop by around 10, up to 13 percent. Thailand will export less amount of food to the world market and that will have implications to the global food security," said Witsanu Attavanich, an assistant professor of the economics department of Kasetsart University.

SHOTLIST:

Thailand - Recent
1. Crop field;
2. Sun, sky;
3. Various of plants, people;
4. Various of cracked land, dry river;
5. Various of farmers;
6. Various of farmer working in field;
7. SOUNDBITE (Thai) Saman Fakkiao, rice farmer (starting with shot 6):
"This year is the worst. There is no water in the canal for agriculture in our area. Planting will be delayed again. Farmers are faced with more and more problems.";
8. Sun, sky;
9. Cracked land;
10. Various of buildings in city;
11. Various of people at market;
12. Various of fruits;
13. Rice crop;
14. Aerial shots of field;
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Witsanu Attavanich, assistant professor, Economics Department
of Kasetsart University (partially overlaid with shot 16):
"In the next few decades where the temperature will be increased by around 1 up to 2°C, the rice production will drop by around 10, up to 13 percent. Thailand will export less amount of food to the world market and that will have implications to the global food security.";
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
16. Rice field;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
17. Various of farmers working in field.

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