China should stop hoarding food and fertiliser, says former World Bank chief

China should stop hoarding food and fertiliser to ease a global supply crisis caused by the Iran war, a former World Bank president has told the BBC. David Malpass, who also served as Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs under US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, was speaking to the World Service's World Business Report on the eve of the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing. "They have the biggest world stockpile of foodstuffs and of fertiliser," he said. "They can stop building their stockpiles." His comments come as nations around the world scramble to secure fertiliser supplies ahead of spring planting, with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz severely disrupting shipments. Earlier this month, the boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser producers warned that the interruption to supplies could cost up to 10 billion meals a week globally and would hit poorest countries hardest. Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive of Yara, told the BBC that reduced crop yields as a result of lower fertiliser use could lead to a bidding war for food. China has halted exports of several types of fertiliser since March, citing the need to protect domestic supplies. This came on top