The Most Daunting Crisis in the Strait of Hormuz Is Food, Not Oil

"If we were to, let's just say tomorrow, stop using conventional fertilizer and we converted everything back to organic and we farmed every single acre of arable land out there, they say that the earth could really only support a population of about four billion people. So conventional fertilizer is, I think, the most important invention to the most number of people on this planet."

"The second quarter of the year, which starts next month, is when the northern hemisphere begins their planting season, and now about 33% of the world's seaborne fertilizers find themselves behind a blockade, which jacks up prices for existing fertilizer on the market. Urea, the world's most widely used nitrogen fertilizer, sees about 35% of its global seaborne trade pass through the Strait of Hormuz."

Iran has nearly shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route, in retaliation for Western military actions, causing oil prices to surge and destabilize markets. More critically, this blockade disrupts fertilizer supplies during the northern hemisphere's planting season. Approximately 33% of global seaborne fertilizers are blocked, with 35% of urea, 30% of ammonia, and 17% of phosphate fertilizer passing through this strait. Conventional fertilizer is essential for global food production; without it, Earth could only sustain approximately four billion people compared to current population levels. The timing is catastrophic, as fertilizer price increases during planting season directly threaten food security worldwide.

Read at Jezebel