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Bangladesh faces a serious risk of a fertilizer shortage following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the sharp rise in urea prices, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
In a new report, the WFP said Bangladesh imports around 80% of its urea fertilizer from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The country’s current urea stock is sufficient to meet demand only until October.
The report added that urea prices have increased by nearly 50%. At the same time, three of Bangladesh’s five state-owned urea fertilizer plants have been forced to suspend production due to a gas shortage.
The WFP warned that the ongoing crisis could leave around 18.1 million people in Bangladesh facing acute food insecurity.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) said it had attacked two Saudi-bound oil tankers in response to what it described as violations of the maritime blockade in the Red Sea. The group issued the statement on Thursday (July 23).
According to a statement broadcast by the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, the targeted vessels were ENCELIA and LAYLA. The group claimed the attack involved drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
Separately, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States has continued military strikes against Iran. Iran, in turn, has launched retaliatory attacks across the Middle East.
Source: Al Jazeera
