Tajani chairs meeting on Hormuz on food security and fertiliser access with Croatia, FAO and around 40 countries and organisations

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, is co-chairing a ministerial meeting alongside the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić-Radman (in his capacity as rotating President of the MED9), and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, Qu Dongyu. The meeting will bring together around 40 countries and regional and international organisations-including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League-with a view to strengthening political coordination on food security and access to fertilisers from the Strait. The aim of the meeting will be to coordinate operational responses and promote mitigation measures to ensure the continuity of food and fertiliser supplies, with particular attention to the impact on the most vulnerable countries and the broader implications for global economic and social stability. The escalation in the Middle East has led to a deterioration in the humanitarian situation, with 24.6 million people displaced, many of whom face urgent humanitarian needs.

Fertilisers account for roughly one third of exports from the Gulf, representing around 30% of global supply trade. In the short term, other producing countries are unable to offset disrupted volumes, nor does the sector maintain strategic reserves, resulting in pressure on prices and on agri-food supply chains, with tangible risks for Africa and for populations in Yemen, Somalia and Palestine, among others.

Rising energy prices (with gas peaking above €63/MWh and oil exceeding $117 per barrel) are also feeding through the supply chain, increasing production and processing costs and adding further pressure on food prices. The Hormuz crisis is also driving a sharp increase in maritime transport costs, with tanker rates rising by up to 86%.

The FAO has identified a number of possible responses to the crisis, including support for countries dependent on food imports through the FAO Food Import Financing Facility (FIFF). The meeting will also be joined by the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Jorge Moreira da Silva, who leads the UN task force on the implications of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz for food security and international agricultural markets.