Why fertiliser prices are soaring
The world relies on agrichemicals to feed itself. Rising costs will play havoc with harvests
AS WELL AS bringing devastation to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s war risks tipping millions of people around the world into hunger. Russia and Ukraine supply 28% of globally traded wheat, 29% of the barley, 15% of the maize and 75% of the sunflower oil. Sanctions on Russia, and the blockade of Ukraine’s ports, have stopped much of this from getting out. And farmers elsewhere are struggling to make up the shortfall, in part because profit margins are being squeezed by the surging cost of fertiliser. Why is fertiliser so expensive?
This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “Why fertiliser prices are soaring”
From the June 4th 2022 edition
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