UN warns of hunger risk as Strait of Hormuz blockage disrupts fertiliser flows

Tens of millions of people could face hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not soon allowed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the head of a UN task force set up to avert a humanitarian crisis.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services and leader of the task force, said the waterway has been in a chokehold for months, disrupting trade in fertilisers and related raw materials such as ammonia, sulphur and urea.

He said the UN could have a mechanism running within seven days to move supplies, but warned that even if the strait reopened immediately it would take three to four months to return to normality.

He added that the planting season cannot wait.

The warning matters because the Strait of Hormuz is a key route for fertiliser shipments, with the UN saying a third of the world's fertilisers normally pass through it.

The task force says countries in Africa and Asia are likely to be particularly hard hit if supplies remain blocked.

Mr Moreira da Silva said he has met with more than 100 countries to build support for the plan, but said the United States, Iran and some Gulf countries are not yet fully on board.

The UN secretary general created the task force in March.

The row comes against the backdrop of the war launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February, which Iran says prompted its retaliation and the chokehold on the route.

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