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How farmers are rising to a fertilizer shortfall

Deutsche Welle · · 893 words · By Josh Axelrod
Global Food Security and Supply Chain Vulnerability
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/scarce-global-fertilizer-supply-urea-nitrogen-lng-strait-o…

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Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

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

schedule Pending 7
check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“Choked off shipping in the Strait of Hormuz isn't just grinding oil tankers to a halt.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that the Strait of Hormuz is a critical choke point for more than just oil tankers. One source notes it is a lifeline for over 100 million people, and another states it is vital for both oil and LNG, indicating broader economic importance beyond just oil.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint), or sometimes bottleneck, is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile, isthmus or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical wate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choke_point
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Iran war is creating a one-two punch for the world's fertilizer supply, blocking both the export and one of its critical ingredients from leaving the Persian Gulf.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results indicate that the Iran conflict is impacting global fertilizer markets. One result specifically mentions the disruption of both LNG and fertilizer exports from the Gulf region through the Strait of Hormuz, supporting the claim of blocking both exports and ingredients.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Persian Gulf Pro League (Persian: لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs), formerly known as the Iran Pro League (Persian: لیگ برتر ایران, Lig-e bartar-e Irân), is a professional associat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_Pro_League
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Persian Gulf naming dispute concerns the gulf known historically and internationally as the Persian Gulf, after Iran (historically known as Persia or Persis and the homeland of the Persian people)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_naming_dispute
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between the Arabian P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Nearly half of the world's traded urea, the most widely used nitrogen-based fertilizer, comes from the Gulf.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results cite figures indicating that a large portion of global urea trade passes through or originates from the Gulf region, supporting the claim that nearly half of the world's traded urea comes from the Gulf.
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web search NEUTRAL — Global prices of urea, a key fertilizer ingredient, have surged due to escalating violence in the Middle East, which threatens to choke supplies from the region. Nearly half of the world's urea ...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-23/global-ur…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nearly half of the world's traded urea—the most widely used fertilizer—moves out of Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz. A shipping services company, the Signal Group, said 20 percent of the w…
https://www.el-balad.com/16885902
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web search NEUTRAL — These nations were major producers and exporters of urea, a key nitrogen fertilizer derived from natural gas, with the broader Arabian Gulf region accounting for approximately 46% of global urea flows…
https://grokipedia.com/page/2026_Global_Fertilizer_Crisis
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“As does one-fifth of the world's liquified natural gas (LNG).”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results cite figures indicating that about one-fifth (20%) of global LNG trade transits or comes from the Strait of Hormuz, supporting the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — In 2024, about 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade transited the Strait of Hormuz, primarily from Qatar. The strait is a critical route for oil and petroleum products as well.
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/06/24/about-one-fifth-of-glob…
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web search NEUTRAL — In-brief analysis June 24, 2025 About one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, World Bank, and Global Ene…
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65584
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web search NEUTRAL — Qatar, which produces a fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas, had to stop exports after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf, in the first few days of the conflict.
https://www.ft.com/content/64c5a600-1fc8-4370-b5d6-8a0bc273a…
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“The century-old Haber-Bosch process combines nitrogen from the air with hydrogen (that's where the LNG comes in) to make ammonia, which you need to produce nitrogen fertilizers.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple web search results define the Haber-Bosch process as combining atmospheric nitrogen ($ ext{N}_2$) and hydrogen ($ ext{H}_2$) to create ammonia ($ ext{NH}_3$), which is the necessary precursor for nitrogen fertilizers. While the evidence does not explicitly link the hydrogen source *only* to LNG, the process description itself is strongly confirmed by authoritative sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Haber-Bosch process is defined as the industrial method for synthesizing ammonia by combining molecular nitrogen (N2) and molecular hydrogen (H2) under high pressure and temperature in the presenc…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/haber-bosch-p…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Haber process, [1] also called the Haber-Bosch process, is the main industrial procedure for the production of ammonia. [2][3] It converts atmospheric nitrogen (N 2) to ammonia (NH 3) by a reactio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process
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web search NEUTRAL — Haber-Bosch process, method of directly synthesizing ammonia from hydrogen and nitrogen, developed by the German physical chemist Fritz Haber. It was the first industrial chemical process to use high …
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Haber-Bosch-process
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“Fertilizer and LNG plants from Qatar to Bangladesh have already begun shutting down.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that fertilizer and LNG plants in countries like Bangladesh have begun shutting down due to supply disruptions related to the Middle East crisis and LNG shortages from Qatar.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Iran war, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has led to what the International Energy Agency has characterized as the "largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_the_2026_Ir…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The economy of Qatar is one of the highest in the world based on GDP per capita, ranking generally among the top ten richest countries on world rankings for 2015 and 2016 data compiled by the World Ba…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Qatar
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — QatarEnergy (Arabic: قطر للطاقة) is the state-owned national petroleum and natural gas company of Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas related activities in Qatar, including exploration, produc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QatarEnergy
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“India possesses large stockpiles of rice and wheat that the government can tap should supply decline.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that India's government manages stockpiles of grain (rice and wheat) for distribution. However, the evidence does not provide a comprehensive overview or confirmation of 'large stockpiles' specifically designated for future supply decline in the manner claimed, making it difficult to corroborate across multiple independent sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — to India's GDP is steadily declining with the country's broad-based economic growth. Still, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall soci…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_India
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web search NEUTRAL — Cereal prices soar as the government stockpiles grain without distributing it.FCI largely buys rice and wheat from farmers at government-set prices and stores it for subsequent distribution.
https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/focus/story/cereal-pri…
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web search NEUTRAL — India is one of the world's biggest onion producers. In Lasangaon, traders buy the crop from farmers and store the onions on concrete in tarpaulin-covered sheds. If the weather stays right, 3-5% of th…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-40184788
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“China, the world's largest fertilizer producer, keeps massive stockpiles of fertilizer.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results cite China as a major fertilizer producer and note that the country maintains massive stockpiles of fertilizer, supporting the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — China , the world's largest fertilizer producer, keeps massive stockpiles of fertilizer. As fertilizer prices increase, some governments can also absorb those costs, instead of passing them on to farm…
https://www.dw.com/en/scarce-global-fertilizer-supply-urea-n…
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web search NEUTRAL — Fertilizer prices have risen significantly in the recent past and may remain elevated at least in the near-term. Urea prices surpassed their 2008 peaks, while phosphates and potash prices are close to…
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/15-largest-fertilizer-compani…
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web search NEUTRAL — The 6 biggest fertilizer exporters in 2024 were Russia, mainland China, Canada, Morocco, United States of America, then Saudi Arabia. Collectively, those major suppliers accounted for over half (53.2%…
https://www.worldstopexports.com/top-fertilizers-exports-by-…
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“When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2022, triggering another major fertilizer supply shock, India raised its fertilizer subsidy by 233% above its original budget.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Wikipedia entries confirm the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent fertilizer supply shock. However, none of the provided evidence sources contain the specific statistic that India raised its fertilizer subsidy by 233% above its original budget, limiting corroboration.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting the current phase of the war, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. By Apri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukrai…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
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“Countries can also limit how much they trade, keeping resources for their own populations, like China has done several times since 2021.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that countries can restrict trade for domestic use. However, the specific claim that China has done this 'multiple times since 2021' is not corroborated by multiple independent sources, although the general concept is supported.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the second-most populous country after India, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, representing 17% of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list gives the number of distinct land borders of each country or territory,but not the neighbouring countries and territories. The length of each border is included, as is the total length of ea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territor…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of all final goods and services from a nation in a given year. Countries are sorted by nominal GDP estimates from financial and statistical institution…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nomi…
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“Soybeans and other legumes have a natural ability to capture nitrogen from the air, requiring much less fertilizer than crops like corn.”
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“The US predicted soybean planting would increase by 4% from last year and corn would decrease by 3% in an agricultural report released at the end of March — and those predictions are based on surveys conducted slightly before the fertilizer crisis truly got underway.”
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“In Asia, there's a limited number of crops that can sustain such heavy rains during monsoon season, and pivoting away from rice when it's such a dietary staple is just not realistic.”
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“Estimates show that the world's crops use only about half of applied fertilizer effectively; the rest leaches into groundwater or escapes into the air as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.”
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“Pivot Bio, an American startup, has developed a method to apply microbes to seeds that can naturally convert nitrogen from the air into a form plants can use.”
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“The company says its products were used across 5 million acres in the US in 2023, reducing reliance on LNG.”
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“When urea prices shot up in 2022 in Bangladesh, farmers were able to use less and rice production held steady.”
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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.