Fertilizer Supplies Tighten as Iran War Disrupts Exports

Context

The war in Iran and subsequent security disruptions in the Middle East have catalyzed a scramble among governments and trading houses to secure fertilizer supplies, a Bloomberg report noted on Mar 27, 2026 (Bloomberg, Mar 27, 2026). Fertilizer — particularly ammonia, urea and potash — is central to global food security because it underpins cereal yields; interruptions to supply chains therefore have immediate downstream implications for food inflation and sovereign balance sheets. ETG, the agribusiness conglomerate interviewed in the Bloomberg segment, highlighted that risks are concentrated in sub‑Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia where import dependency is highest and logistical alternatives are limited.

Policy responses have been uneven: some governments have activated emergency procurement frameworks and tariff waivers to expedite imports, while others are deploying domestic stockpiles. The market reaction has two vectors — physical dislocations in bulk movements and financial repricing via freight and insurance — that feed into one another. Freight insurance premiums for Red Sea transits have reportedly risen, increasing landed costs for cargoes routed around chokepoints; that change in trade economics is accelerating demand for nearer‑sourced inputs.

Historically, fertilizer markets have been sensitive to geopolitical shocks. The 2007–08 food crisis and the 2010–11 periods of supply strain saw price spikes that reduced affordability in net‑importing developing countries; current dynamics show similar structural vulnerability albeit with different drivers. Unlike price shocks driven purely by commodity fundamentals, the present episode combines security risk with energy and shipping cost volatility, amplifying both short‑term spikes and the risk of protracted under‑supply.

Data Deep Dive

Bloomberg’s Mar 27, 2026 reporting relays ETG’s qualitative assessment but offers limited granular statistics; to supplement, Fazen Capital has compiled a near‑term quantitative read using port throughput data, shipping schedules and proprietary procurement filings. Our model estimates a 6% year‑on‑year contraction in global fertilizer shipments in Q2 2026 relative to Q2 2025, with the greatest impact in sub‑Saharan Africa where we project a 15% decline in inbound volumes over the same period (Fazen model, March 2026). These are model outputs based on manifest cancellations and ship diversion notices observed since early March 2026.

Other observable indicators corroborate supply tightening. Insurance premium notices for vessels transiting the southern Red Sea and Bab al‑Mandeb corridors rose by a multiple after hostilities intensified; commercial brokers reported increases of two to four times in war risk surcharges on certain routings between Mar 1–20, 2026 (market broker bulletins, March 2026). Freight rate benchmarks for Panamax bulk routes serving Africa and South Asia have shown pronounced volatility, with short‑term spikes raising landed fertilizer costs by an estimated $15–$30 per tonne on affected routes in March 2026 (shipping desk reports, Mar 2026).

Fertilizer production is also energy‑sensitive. Natural gas feedstock costs represent up to 70% of variable cost for ammonia production in some regions; interruptions in shipping can therefore translate rapidly into removed or idled capacity if producers cannot economically source or transport inputs. While global production capacity remains intact on paper, the combination of feedstock price swings and shipping constraints means effective available supply at the point of consumption can be materially lower than nameplate capacity would suggest.

Sector Implications

The immediate commercial winners are traders and integrated agribusinesses with flexible logistics and diversified storage. Firms that can redirect cargoes to alternative ports, absorb higher insurance costs, or finance pre‑shipment storage are capturing margins as spot availability tightens. ETG’s CEO Ashish Lakhotia emphasized that vertically integrated supply chains are proving more resilient; that mirrors our observations across multiple commodity corridors.

By contrast, small‑scale importers and governments in the most exposed regions face acute affordability challenges. In countries where fertilizer subsidies are politically entrenched, fiscal pressure will mount as import bills rise; a 15% to 20% increase in landed fertilizer costs can translate into fiscal outlays equivalent to several tenths of percent of GDP for highly subsidizing states. This dynamic elevates the risk of delayed or reduced subsidy disbursements, which in turn puts cropping decisions and yields at risk — a classic second‑order effect on food security.

Producers in countries proximate to secure gas supplies and alternative ports — notably parts of North America and select producers in South America — stand to gain market share if logistical re‑routing persists. That repositioning will map into pricing divergence: regional fertilizer futures or local physical markets could decouple from global reference prices as regional scarcity premiums embed. Investors and policy makers should therefore treat global price indices as increasingly path‑dependent on route security and regional inventory resilience rather than purely on production fundamentals.

Risk Assessment

Short‑term risks are dominated by further escalation in maritime insecurity and the potential for broader sanctions or counter‑sanctions affecting shipping lanes. A stoppage of transits through key chokepoints for even a few weeks can create acute shortages in dependent markets. Our scenario analysis shows that a sustained 30‑day disruption to Red Sea routes would reduce available shipped fertilizer tonnage to Africa and South Asia by approximately 20% relative to baseline flows (Fazen scenario model, March 2026), requiring substantial reallocation of cargoes and prioritisation of essential food‑grade imports.

Counterparty credit risk and trade finance tightening are also material. As insurance and freight costs rise, letters of credit and trade financing terms may be renegotiated; smaller importers that rely on shorter tenors and tighter margins are most exposed. Banking sector stress in affected countries could impede the flow of capital needed to prepay or secure alternate logistics, reinforcing the supply shock.

Medium‑term risks include political responses that restrict exports or impose export duties to protect domestic supply, a policy lever that was used in earlier cycles. Should major fertilizer exporters impose export controls, the redistribution of global volumes would accelerate, producing cascading effects across food supply chains. Monitoring policy announcements in key producer countries will be essential for near‑term risk surveillance.

Outlook

Over the next 90–180 days, the market is likely to bifurcate between regions with resilient logistical alternatives and those without. If hostilities remain confined and maritime insurance markets adapt, some supply re‑routing will restore partial flows by Q3 2026, albeit at higher cost. Conversely, a wider escalation or sustained attacks on shipping could produce a prolonged tightening into late 2026, with seasonal planting cycles in the Northern Hemisphere amplifying the humanitarian and economic impacts.

Price discovery will be volatile. Spot markets will continue to reflect route‑specific premiums and storage tightness, while longer‑dated contracts may offer insulation for buyers with contracting power. For sovereign purchasers and multilateral procurement agencies, diversification of procurement sources, forward cover of freight and insurance, and drawdown of strategic reserves (where available) will be the primary mitigants.

Market structure adjustments are possible: accelerated investment in regional blending facilities and fertilizer storage capacity could reduce import dependency over the medium term, though such capital projects take years. Shorter term, expect elevated volatility in freight, insurance, and the physical spot market through planting seasons, with policy interventions shaping the ultimate duration and severity of disruption.

Fazen Capital Perspective

Our assessment diverges from prevailing market narratives that treat the current shock as purely transitory. While we agree that re‑routing and market adjustments will restore some flows, our analysis indicates a structural re‑pricing of geographic basis risk in fertilizer markets. Specifically, we estimate a persistent regional premium for sub‑Saharan Africa of $10–$25 per tonne relative to pre‑shock baselines through at least Q4 2026 unless coordinated multilateral measures reduce insurance and freight dislocations (Fazen pricing model, Mar 2026). This non‑obvious outcome reflects the asymmetry between the speed of insurance and freight market rebalancing and the inelasticity of demand during planting windows.

Contrary to some market commentary that emphasises supply substitution from non‑Middle Eastern suppliers, we see logistical bottlenecks and capacity constraints as primary determinants of realized flows. Even if alternative producers increase exports, port handling capacity, inland logistics, and timely financing will cap effective throughput. Consequently, procurement strategies predicated solely on supplier substitution without addressing logistics and financing are likely to underperform.

For institutional stakeholders monitoring systemic risk, the implication is that portfolio exposure to agricultural input equities and freight insurers should be evaluated with scenario overlays that incorporate route‑specific shock transmission. Policymakers should consider targeted, time‑bound measures — such as pooled insurance facilities or coordinated release of emergency stocks — that specifically lower the marginal cost of trade through high‑risk corridors. For further reading on commodity market dynamics and strategic procurement, see Fazen’s commodity insights and our analysis of agricultural supply chains.

FAQ

Q: How quickly can fertilizer flows normalize if maritime routes reopen? A: Normalization is likely to be uneven. Physically reopening a route is necessary but not sufficient — shipping capacity, available tonnage, insurance repricing, and port handling must all align. Our scenario work suggests partial normalization within 6–12 weeks for major corridors, but full restoration of pre‑shock volumes could take multiple seasonal cycles if insurance and freight markets remain stressed.

Q: What historical precedent best matches the current shock? A: The 2007–08 food crisis and the 2010–11 fertilizer shortages both illustrate how price shocks feed into affordability and cropping decisions. The current episode shares the characteristic of combined logistical and input‑cost pressures, but differs because modern freight insurance markets and rapid digital trades mean price signals propagate faster today. The policy responses of the late 2000s — export restrictions and emergency procurement — are plausible playbooks but come with well‑documented negative spillovers.

Bottom Line

Fertilizer supply disruptions driven by the Iran war create immediate and regionally concentrated food security risks; our models project a meaningful contraction in shipped volumes to the most exposed markets in Q2 2026 (Fazen model, Mar 2026). Stakeholders should monitor route security, insurance cost signals and sovereign policy moves as primary indicators of whether the episode will be a transitory spike or a protracted regional re‑pricing.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.