PARIS: Tens of millions of people could face hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not soon allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the head of a UN task force warning of a looming humanitarian crisis said on Monday.
According to Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and head of the task force, Iran has kept the strategic waterway under pressure for months in response to the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
The strait is a key global route through which about one-third of the world’s fertilisers normally pass, and the disruption has affected agricultural trade during critical planting seasons.
Speaking in Paris, Moreira da Silva said, “We have a few weeks ahead of us to prevent what will likely be a massive humanitarian crisis.” He warned that “we may witness a crisis that will force 45 million more people into hunger and starvation.”
The UN secretary-general established the task force in March to create a mechanism for allowing fertilisers and related raw materials such as ammonia, sulphur, and urea to move through the Strait of Hormuz. The initiative is aimed at preventing a major breakdown in global food supply chains.
Moreira da Silva said he has been working for weeks to persuade the parties involved to allow at least limited shipments through the strait. He added that he has engaged with more than 100 countries to build support for the UN-led mechanism.
He noted that while increasing international backing is emerging for the plan, key stakeholders including the United States, Iran, and Gulf countries—major fertiliser producers—have not yet fully endorsed it.
The UN official said the long-term goal remains a lasting peace agreement in the region and ensuring “freedom of navigation for all commodities” through the strait. However, he stressed that “the problem is the planting season can’t wait,” noting that agricultural cycles in some African countries will end within weeks.
While global attention has largely focused on the impact of restricted oil and gas flows, the United Nations has repeatedly warned that the disruption also poses a serious threat to global food security. Countries in Africa and Asia are expected to be among the hardest hit.
Moreira da Silva said the UN mechanism could be operational within seven days, but even if the strait were reopened immediately, it would take three to four months for supply chains to return to normal.
“It’s just a matter of time. If we don’t stop the origin of the crisis soon, we will have to deal with the consequences through humanitarian aid,” he said.
He added that although food prices have not yet surged dramatically, fertiliser costs have already risen significantly. Experts warn that this could reduce agricultural productivity and eventually drive global food prices higher.
Moreira da Silva suggested that allowing just five vessels per day carrying fertilisers and related materials through the strait would be enough to prevent the worst of the crisis for farmers worldwide.
He concluded that what is currently missing is “political will,” stressing, “We can’t procrastinate on what is possible to do, and what is urgent to do — which is let the fertilisers cross the strait and, through that, minimize the risk of massive food insecurity at the global level.”