UN agency: Hormuz closure a global food security risk

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General Qu Dongyu warned Monday that any disruption or closure of the Strait of Hormuz would represent a global food security risk rather than a regional crisis. Opening the 181st Session of the FAO Council in Rome, Qu stressed the need to keep agricultural trade routes open amid rising global pressures. “The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is not a regional issue — it is a global food security risk,” he said.

Fertiliser and production shock

Qu noted that a significant share of global crude oil, LNG, and fertiliser exports pass through the strait. Around 20‑30% of global fertiliser trade and large volumes of energy and sulphur shipments transit the waterway. “In the immediate term, we have called for keeping trade open, avoiding export restrictions on all agricultural inputs, protecting humanitarian food corridors, and securing alternative logistics routes,” he said. The most immediate concern is a “fertiliser and production shock” that could significantly increase production costs for farmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, forcing difficult decisions on crop output.

Compounding risks

Qu warned that climate‑related shocks, including a potential El Niño event later this year, could compound existing food insecurity in vulnerable regions already affected by conflict and economic instability. The FAO is carrying out humanitarian operations, including livestock vaccination campaigns in Sudan and emergency feed support in Gaza.