West African farmers could be hardest hit from a global fertilizer supply squeeze sparked by the war in the Middle East, experts warned.
The agriculture-reliant region imports the majority of its fertilizer, much of which came from the Gulf before Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The timing of the war is particularly worrying, coming just as farmers prepare for the spring planting season.
Though it may take months for food prices to reflect the fertilizer shortage, experts fear catastrophic consequences in the world’s poorest regions, warning that 45 million more people could be pushed into acute hunger.
Meanwhile, Russia, a major fertilizer producer, could stand to gain from the shortage as rising prices could help boost its war coffers.
