|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fertiliser scarcity will affect next harvests & food supplies: FAO
|
|
Monday, 11 May, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Rome, Italy
|
The director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, emphasised that the global fertiliser scarcity caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to lower yields and tightening food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027. He spoke at the Ministerial Meeting of the MED9++ Countries on ‘Supporting Food Security and Access to Fertilisers’ co-chaired by FAO, Italy and Croatia.
Addressing ministers and senior representatives gathered in Rome, the director-general stressed that the current crisis extends far beyond geopolitics, increasingly affecting food production, trade, agricultural inputs and access to food worldwide.
“We meet at a moment of profound strain. This is not only a geopolitical crisis, but also a disruption at the core of the global agrifood system,” said Dongyu.
Dongyu highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, which under normal conditions carries substantial shares of globally traded oil, liquefied natural gas, sulphur and fertilisers. Disruptions to maritime flows through the corridor, he warned, are already tightening fertiliser markets and increasing energy costs, with potentially severe consequences for agricultural production and food prices.
“Agriculture operates within a crop calendar that cannot be postponed. Fertilisers must be applied at specific moments in the crop cycle. If they do not arrive on time, yields are reduced, regardless of what happens later,” said Dongyu.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|