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Food insecurity is the ‘hidden devil’ of global conflicts: The case of urea | Daily FT

· 1590 words

The article discusses the economic impacts of global conflicts, particularly focusing on food insecurity and the disruption of urea fertilizer supply chains. It highlights how conflicts have led to higher fertilizer prices and reduced agricultural productivity, with specific examples of countries like Sri Lanka facing severe shortages. The text also mentions export restrictions by nations such as China and India, contributing to global market instability.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.ft.lk/opinion/Food-insecurity-is-the-hidden-devil-of-global-conflict…

analyticsAnalysis

0%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 7
schedule Pending 7
verified Verified By Reference 3
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“Wars and conflicts have always had serious negative effects on economies around the world.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support the claim about historical economic impacts of conflicts.
help
“The main commodity that gets disrupted is energy, resulting in uncertainty, driving sharp increases in fuel prices, and leading to shortages, especially in countries that depend heavily on imported energy.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm energy disruptions causing price spikes and shortages.
verified
“Since the 1973 oil crisis, many regional conflicts have caused such disruptions.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia evidence for 1973 elections in Italy and Valdostan does not relate to energy disruptions caused by regional conflicts.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1973rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 973rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 73…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Regional elections were held in some regions of Italy during 1973. These included: Aosta Valley on 10 June Friuli-Venezia Giulia on 17 June Trentino-Alto Adige on 18 November
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Italian_regional_election…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Valdostan regional election of 1973 took place on 10 June 1973. The alliance of 1970 was initially confirmed, but the situation was later changed by the Valdostan Union and the Christian Democracy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Valdostan_regional_electi…
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“Tensions involving Israel, the United States, and Iran have affected not only oil but also natural gas supplies.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to support tensions impacting oil and natural gas supplies.
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“About one-third of globally traded fertilisers pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to verify fertilizer trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
verified
“The price of urea rose from about $ 350 per Mt before March 2026 to around $ 684 per Mt by 20 March 2026.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries about urea and diesel exhaust fluid do not mention price changes or specific dates for urea price increases.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF; also known as AUS 32 and sometimes marketed as AdBlue) is a liquid used to reduce the amount of air pollution created by a diesel engine. Specifically, DEF is an aqueous ure…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_exhaust_fluid
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Urea, also called carbamide (because it is a diamide of carbonic acid), is an organic compound with chemical formula CO(NH2)2. This amide has two amino groups (−NH2) joined by a carbonyl functional gr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Urea-formaldehyde (UF), also known as urea-methanal, so named for its common synthesis pathway and overall structure, is a nontransparent thermosetting polymer. It is produced from urea and formaldeh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea-formaldehyde
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“China has now restricted exports of agricultural inputs to secure their domestic supply and control prices amid global shortages.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm China's agricultural input export restrictions.
verified
“India restricted the export of non-basmati rice between 2023 and 2024 to control domestic prices.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia evidence about Canada-India disputes and Indian elections does not mention rice export restrictions during 2023-2024.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Canada–India diplomatic row was a diplomatic dispute between Canada and India that started in September 2023, with periodic escalation throughout the following year. While the diplomatic row was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023–25_Canada–India_diplomati…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 elections in India includes the Lok Sabha Election and elections to the Rajya Sabha, state legislative assemblies, rural and urban local bodies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_elections_in_India
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2027 census of India, or the 16th Indian census, is to be conducted in two phases: House listing and Housing Census from April to September 2026 and Population Enumeration in February 2027. Althou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2027_census_of_India
help
“India is a major producer of urea, it does not export the product.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to verify India's urea export status.
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“By 2025, paddy production exceeded 5 million Mt, nearing the previous records set in 2020 and 2021.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia to confirm Sri Lanka's paddy production figures for 2025.
schedule
“The Maha cultivation season has just ended, with some areas affected by extreme weather.”
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“The Department of Agriculture (DOA) provides fertiliser recommendations based on climatic zones and water supply for the crops.”
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“For irrigated paddy in the Dry and Intermediate Zones, about 225 kg per hectare is required, while the Wet Zone requires about 140 kg.”
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“In 2025, the Yala season recorded a high cultivation extent of paddy, about 540,000 hectares.”
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“Only about 83,000 Mt of urea were reportedly used, i.e. around 154 kg of urea per hectare.”
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“The shortage of nitrogen-based fertilisers across the agricultural sector is indicated.”
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“Sri Lanka has about 102,000 Mt of urea available. Although orders have been placed for an additional 77,000 Mt, more than half of these have reportedly been cancelled due to the global crisis, with only about 16,000 Mt expected to arrive.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.