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The Iran war and the fertiliser crisis: What Europe and Africa can do

  • Publication | 2026

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent shockwaves across the energy and food markets of the EU, Africa and Asia. Nitrogen fertilisers are particularly hard hit: the Gulf region exports both fertilisers and the natural gas used to produce fertilisers elsewhere. This may be a crisis in the making – one that will hit some more than others.

Fertiliser and natural gas prices have shot up and may stay high for a while. This will affect many, though unevenly. European fertiliser producers feel the higher gas prices; Indian factories are lowering production; and African farmers will probably apply even less fertiliser than they normally do. 
Related reading
PUBLICATION | 29 May 2026
AMIS Market Monitor - No. 138 May 2026
Global markets faced renewed pressures in April as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continued to disrupt fertilizer supply, pushing urea and phosphate prices higher and further...
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