The chief executive of fertiliser producer Yara has warned that the war in Iran and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could put up to ten billion meals a week at risk. Svein Tore Holsether said halted supplies of fertiliser and its key ingredients are already reducing global production, with around half a million tons of nitrogen fertiliser currently not being made.

Holsether cautioned that failing to apply nitrogen fertiliser could cut crop yields by as much as half in the first season. He said farmers are struggling with rising energy and input costs, while the prices they receive for crops have not increased enough to offset their higher expenses.

Fertiliser prices have surged by 80 percent since the conflict began, raising fears of a global bidding war for food. Holsether warned that wealthier regions could outbid poorer nations, worsening food affordability, scarcity and hunger in developing countries, even if wealthier consumers mainly experience higher grocery bills rather than shortages.