It’s not just the gasoline

The de facto closing of the Strait of Hormuz resulting from Trump’s little war impacts supply chains besides transportation.

“Farmers in the U.S. and Canada, who were already worried about prospects for another year of low profits or losses, now could have spring planting disrupted as they struggle to find fertilizer, ‌and prices for any available supplies have spiked more than a third since the war in Iran paralyzed global trade.

“The U.S., ‌which in some years imports half of its urea fertilizer, is about 25% short of the usual supplies that farmers buy for spring planting, according to The Fertilizer Institute, ​which represents the U.S. fertilizer supply chain.

“Supplies could grow still scarcer if fertilizer destined for the U.S. gets rerouted to other places willing to pay more for it, an analyst said.”

And with each passing week, Spring planting season looms closer. That’s not something you can just put off for a few months and then kick into gear. Most fertilizer needs to be applied before the crops start growing.

“The Iran war has cut off critical nitrogen fertilizer supplies from the Persian Gulf to the world's farmers. More than 30% of world nitrogen fertilizer exports, as well as fertilizer components like sulfur, pass through the now effectively closed Strait of Hormuz.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/iran-war-deprives-us-farmers-181807082.html

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