KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Southern Africa and Southeast Asia are expected to face the sharpest rise in drought, heat and power risks following the 2026-2027 El Niño, according to a report by BMI, a Fitch Solutions company.
It said the El Niño weather phenomenon is likely to raise drought risk to cropland most in Southern Africa, Central America, northern South America and South-east Asia, threatening maize, rice, sugar, palm oil and coffee output.
“In past El Niños, the share of cropland exposed to high-intensity drought rose by 11-12 percentage points on average across these regions, with Zambia, Zimbabwe, Central America’s Dry Corridor, the Philippines, Thailand, Guyana and Suriname among the hardest hit.
