UN warns Hormuz fertilizer disruption could deepen food insecurity

A senior United Nations official has warned that continued disruption to fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could leave millions more people facing food insecurity, urging the parties involved to allow limited transit.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, the UN under-secretary-general and head of the UN Task Force for the Strait of Hormuz, told the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs in Brussels on Thursday that shipping disruption was already affecting global energy and food security.

He said the consequences of inaction would be particularly severe for developing countries. Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique and Tanzania obtain between 50% and 60% of their fertilizer supplies from the Gulf, he said.

Why fertilizer shipments matter

Moreira da Silva said the crisis had already led to a sharp rise in fertilizer prices and a decline in fertilizer use. Those trends could reduce agricultural productivity and worsen food insecurity.

The UN has developed a mechanism to enable fertilizer shipments to pass through the strait while broader negotiations on freedom of navigation continue, he said.

The proposal is not intended to replace freedom of navigation or serve as an alternative to a comprehensive political settlement. Instead, it would provide a temporary, exceptional arrangement to help prevent a humanitarian crisis.

How the proposed mechanism would work

Under the plan, shipping agents would register requests to transport fertilizer. Once approved, the UN would coordinate deconfliction with the parties to the conflict and other relevant states, and provide vessels with a safe route.

Moreira da Silva described the plan as a confidence-building measure that would enable a limited number of fertilizer shipments while broader negotiations continue. He said it had received broad support among UN member states, but the UN had not yet secured the necessary mandate from the two parties to the conflict.

He said he continued to engage weekly with Iran, the United States and Gulf countries to seek an agreement. The UN would need seven days to deploy monitors and ensure fertilizer transit, he said, adding that the plan depended on the parties’ political will.