Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer?

Mick Tsikas/AAP Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer? Published: September 16, 2026 10:15pm EDT https://theconversation.com/will-el-nino-send-food-prices-soaring-this-summer-291547 https://theconversation.com/will-el-nino-send-food-prices-soaring-this-summer-291547 Link copied Share article Share article

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Australia’s farm sector currently faces a double whammy from weather and non-weather related factors: a confirmed El Niño effect and surging inflationary pressures.

The Bureau of Meteorology says a strong El Niño is underway in late spring and into summer in Australia. This week it said :

Models indicate the current event is likely to become the strongest El Niño event on record, with reliable records dating back to 1950.

The research division of the Department of Agriculture, known as ABARES , says the current El Niño could lead to lower spring rainfall in parts of Australia, but the impacts are uncertain.