Food price hike since war on Iran is global says UN

THE PRICE of food rose by 2.4% from February to March across the world. The news comes from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) – and this is the second monthly rise in a row.

Food prices are going up in anticipation of shortages caused by the closure of the Strait of Homuz. It is not so much that foods themselves are being held in the Strait. It is more that fertiliser is being held up – just when the western world should be planting crops.

However, the big one is fuel, which is suffering from increased prices and is also in dwindling supply. Fuel is needed along the whole food production process. It fuels tractors which plant the seeds, irrigation system and greenhouses or poly-tunnels, and harvesting – as well as post-harvest processing. The finished food relies on fuel to run the distribution system.

The FAO stresses that the food price increase is global. It attributes the largest part of the cause to higher energy prices caused by the US/Israeli war on Iran. US President Donald Trump has not yet apologised for this consequence of this reckless action – or commented at all.

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