Fertiliser shortages due to Iran war are a key worry for developing world,

Fertiliser shortages due to the Iran war are a pressing concern for developing countries and gains from rising oil and gas prices for developing world producers are likely to be short-lived, the head of the United Nations trade agency said on Tuesday.



"The more immediate issue is fertiliser, because that then affects food security and food security is always the basis for stability," said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, executive director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), adding that oil and gas could be secured from other places so the situation was "not as dire" even if price hikes were a problem.



Coke-Hamilton, whose agency focuses on promoting trade for developing countries, noted that a third of global urea would normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran and the United States are blockading.



"There are significant issues with respect to availability of fertilisers and also there's a timeline for agriculture in terms of ensuring you have enough for the next harvest, which is being missed now," she told Reuters in an interview.



The U.N. said on Monday that a diplomatic push was under way on a U.N.-led proposal to ensure safe passage for fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.