The closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a severe global food price crisis within six to 12 months, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned on Wednesday, calling the disruption “the beginning of a systemic agrifood shock,” Anadolu reports.
The Rome-based agency said the disruption is no longer only a shipping or energy-market problem, warning that the shock is moving through global agrifood systems in stages.
“The shock is unfolding in stages: energy, fertiliser, seeds, lower yields, commodity price increases, then food inflation,” the FAO said in a podcast titled Policy Recommendations to Prevent a Global Food Crisis | Hormuz Crisis 2026, published Wednesday.
The FAO said the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since Feb. 28 and remained shut as of May 18, disrupting global energy and fertiliser supplies that are critical for agricultural production.
The agency warned that the window for preventive action is closing rapidly, adding that decisions taken now by farmers and governments will determine whether the current disruption turns into a broader food price crisis in the coming months.
The FAO urged governments to expand alternative trade routes, avoid export restrictions, protect humanitarian food flows, and create buffers to absorb higher transport costs.
It also called on governments to avoid policies that could worsen food-fuel competition, including boosting biofuel demand during shortages, and said energy policy responses should not deepen food security risks.
The agency recommended expanding affordable emergency credit for farmers, agribusinesses and small firms across food value chains, with repayment schedules aligned to harvest periods and grace periods of at least six to nine months.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, and disruptions there have raised concerns over fuel, fertiliser, and transport costs feeding into global food prices.
The FAO’s Food Price Index has already risen for three consecutive months, with the agency linking pressure on food markets to higher energy and fertiliser costs.
