President Donald Trump’s plan for a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (hor-MOOZ) could make an already unprecedented crisis worse in one of the world’s biggest energy-producing regions.
Bloomberg said the narrow waterway is seeing transits totaling single digits every day, compared to more than 100 in peacetime.
News Nation reported that not only 20 percent of the world’s oil travels through the Strait, but fertilizer, too.
The United Nations said about one-third of the world’s fertilizer supply moves through that narrow channel.
That includes nitrogen fertilizers, which require liquified natural gas, and phosphate fertilizers, made from urea, ammonia, and sulfur.
“Fertilizers are vital for growing wheat, fruit, rice, corn, and more,” News Nation reported. “This blockade could drive up fertilizer prices, which have already risen over 40 percent compared to last year.”
When you combine that with rising gas and diesel costs, the price of producing food will skyrocket.
