The world's farmers face soaring fertiliser and fuel prices as the war in the Middle East escalates, leaving some scrambling for supplies as the spring planting season approaches.The war, which has closed
The world's farmers face soaring fertiliser and fuel prices as the war in the Middle East escalates, leaving some scrambling for supplies as the spring planting season approaches.
The war, which has closed the Strait of Hormuz, has shut down fertiliser plants in the region and severely disrupted shipping routes, potentially curbing supplies to key importers around the world just as farmers in the Northern Hemisphere prepare to plant seeds.
"It's a mess because it's spring," said Cedric Benoist, who farms wheat, barley and other crops south of Paris, referring to global fertiliser prices that have jumped by dozens of euros per metric ton. "This situation can't continue." Farmers from Srinagar in Kashmir to Saskatchewan in Canada rely on fertilizer and diesel shipped through the strait, the conduit for about one-third of global trade in fertilizer and 20% of the world's export fuels.
Because of a global grains glut, many farmers were already expecting to lose money on this year's crop. Now the outlook is especially gloomy for farmers who still need to buy spring fertilizer, like Jeff Harrison of Quinte West in Ontario. "We're in a real bad situation now," Harrison said.
Prices in the United States, which imports
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
