Le Monde: World famine is now a distinct possibility

The food crisis previously predicted in connection with the war in the Middle East is now a reality, Le Monde reports. According to the World Food Programme, if the conflict continues beyond June, approximately 45 million people could face acute food insecurity.

Moreover, “acute shortage” is a softened name for what will actually become famine in some regions.



There are alternatives to Persian Gulf fertilizers, but they are limited in volume and cannot fully replace the lost volumes.

Global shortages – particularly of nitrogen fertilizers, urea and ammonia – have already led to price increases of 25-35% or more, and full compensation for lost capacity will take months.

Other fertilizer producers, Russia and Belarus, the USA/Canada, Morocco and others, will remain in the black.

If the shortage continues, more significant changes are possible. In particular, farmers will begin to switch to less fertilizer-demanding crops, shift to more localized use of available fertilizers, and adopt other methods. Technology.

For now, the shortage remains a reality for many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

At the same time, China has imposed restrictions and bans on the export of urea, sulfuric acid and some other fertilizers to protect against fluctuations.