FAO Warns Protracted Hormuz Crisis Could Trigger Food Catastrophe
A prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global food catastrophe by disrupting fertiliser and energy exports, driving up food prices and squeezing crop yields, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned.
“It’s essential for the ceasefire to continue, and that vessels can start to move … to avoid the problem of food inflation,” said Maximo Torero, the FAO’s Chief Economist.He warned the “clock is ticking” to avoid this situation ballooning into a global crisis which could rival that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.“Everything is linked to the crop calendar,” he said. If farmers don’t have all the resources they need for planting, that could cause lower yields, meaning less food in the future, he warned. In addition, if countries start restricting energy or fertilizer exports that will add to the problem, he said.Any squeeze on global food supply will have an outsized effect on lower-income and smaller countries, added David Laborde, director of the Agrifood Economics and Policy Division at the FAO.
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