Fertiliser Shortage

 Fertiliser - the key ingredient needed to help crops grow - is in short supply across the world. Global prices have also sky-rocketed in part because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia, which is under Western sanctions, produces large amounts of potash, ammonia and urea. These are the three key ingredients needed to make chemical fertiliser. Russia exports around 20% of the world's nitrogen fertilisers and combined with its sanctioned ally Belarus, 40% of the world's exported potassium

The amount of fertiliser available globally has almost halved, while the cost of some types of fertilizer have nearly tripled over the past 12 months, according to the United Nations. 

That is having a knock-on effect in countries where farmers are dependent on imported fertiliser. The crisis has left many African countries, which are heavily dependent on foreign imports, scrambling to find solutions.

The short supply will inevitably impact crop yields, particularly for wheat which requires a lot of fertiliser and is essential for feeding millions.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the fertiliser shortage could push an additional seven million people into food scarcity.

They say that cereal production in 2022 will decline to about 38 million tonnes, from the previous year's output of over 45 million tonnes.

Fertiliser shortage hits African farmers battling food crisis - BBC News