Food prices have been rising at an alarming clip for months now, but prices really shot up Tuesday, after the U.N. warned that a severe drought is threatening the winter harvest in China, the world's largest wheat-producing country. According to the Wall Street Journal, wheat futures rose "to a fresh 30-month high" Tuesday, the same day the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization said "the ongoing drought is potentially a very serious problem." According to the FAO, two-thirds of China's wheat-producing land could be affected by meager rainfall and inadequate snow cover. The drought is also jeopardizing drinking water supplies for 2.6 million people and their livestock. According to the AFP, "world food prices reached their highest level ever recorded in January and are set to keep rising for months," and the U.N. is warning that "the hardest-hit countries" could face Tunisia-like "turmoil."
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