How War in the Gulf Is Fueling Hunger Worldwide

Jun 17, 2026 | Sachin Yadav
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Energy and food systems are not separate pipelines, they are one. Fuel powers tractors, irrigation pumps, and cold-storage facilities. Natural gas is the primary feedstock for nitrogen fertilizers, which underpins around 50 percent of global food production. When the Gulf burns, fields in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America go unfertilized. Middle East urea prices closed over USD 590 per metric ton in early March, a 19 percent increase in a single week, while experts warned that as much as one-third of global fertilizer trade could be affected. In India, fertilizer production was already running at 70 percent of gas requirements, with risks to food production if the conflict persisted into the May–June peak demand season.