Blog Category

Input Markets

The Iran war’s impacts on global fertilizer markets and food production

• by Charlotte Hebebrand, Joseph Glauber, Rob Vos, and Brendan Rice

Key takeaways

•Shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz have already driven sharp increases in fertilizer and energy prices.
•Higher prices could reduce fertilizer use and lower crop yields if the disruption persists, posing significant food security risks.
•Most vulnerable are countries heavily dependent on Persian Gulf fertilizer and natural gas—especially in Africa and South Asia.

Fertilizer prices soften but remain constrained by trade policies

• by John Baffes and Kaltrina Temaj

 

This blog post is part of a special series based on the October 2025 Commodity Markets Outlook, a flagship report published by the World Bank. This series features concise summaries of commodity-specific sections extracted from the report. Explore the full report here.

FAO Food Price Index Declines for Third Consecutive Month

• by Sara Gustafson

The FAO Food Price Index fell for the third month in a row in November, declining by 1.2 percent. Prices declined for all commodities except cereals. The Index in November stood 2.1 percent below its year-earlier level and nearly 22 percent below the peak of March 2022.

Record high meat prices drive Food Price Index up in July

• by Sara Gustafson

The FAO Food Price Index rose by 1.6 percent in July based on increasing meat and vegetable oil prices. The Index remains 7.6 percent higher than its 2024 level but nearly 19 percent below its March 2022 peak.