The Strait of Hormuz's shutdown on February 28 has caused global fertilizer prices to more than double, a development that threatens food security worldwide. The move has disrupted the supply of key feedstock chemicals that underpin nitrogen‑based fertilizers. Half of all fertilizer feedstock exports pass through the strait, including urea, ammonia, sulfur, hydrogen, natural gas and nitrogen. The blockage has therefore hit the core of the agrifood supply chain, with no commercial‑scale alternative to nitrogen‑based fertilizer. According to Oilprice.com , fertilizer prices have more than doubled. The United Nations estimates that the crisis could push 45 million more people into hunger. Even if the strait reopens, the International Fresh Produce Association projects that the shock could raise grocery‑store prices by 1‑3 percent as farmers delay planting. The report from Semafor notes that natural gas production in the Gulf will take months or even years to ramp up, delaying feedstock recovery. Andy DeVries of DeVries Farm told The Verge that, "When you have a calendar that you have always followed for planting season, you just basically have to throw that thing out the window, because everything has just had a bomb dropped on it." Jorge Moreira da Silva of the United Nations said, "The planting season has already started... So if we don't get some solution immediately the crisis will be very significant and severe, particularly for the poorest countries and for the poorest citizens."