Billions of meals at risk due to Iran war, says fertiliser boss

The interruption to supplies of fertiliser and its key ingredients due to the war in Iran could cost up to 10 billion meals a week globally and will hit poorest countries hardest, according to the boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser producers. Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive of Yara, told the BBC that hostilities in the Gulf, which have blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, are jeopardising global food production. Reduced crop yields as a result of lower fertiliser use could lead to a bidding war for food, he warned. He urged European nations to consider carefully the impact of a price war on the "most vulnerable" in other countries. Although the UK is very unlikely to face food shortages, the increased costs facing food producers are expected to start showing up on weekly food bills in the next few months. "We're up to half a million tons of nitrogen fertiliser not being produced in the world right now because of the situation we are in," Holsether said. "What does that mean for food production? I would get to up to 10 billion meals that will not be produced every week as a result of the lack of fertilisers." Not applying nitrogen fertiliser would reduce c

May 1, 2026 → May 1, 2026