The blockade of the Ormuz Strait threatens to import food into the Gulf States

Iran's possible closure of the Ormuz Strait may seriously disrupt the supply of food to Gulf States. According to the British "Financial Times", a significant proportion of the agricultural crop imported into the region goes there by sea, making the entire supply system particularly sensitive to the disruption of the safety of shipping in the region.

Strait Ormuz key supply route

According to an analytical company Kpler of the Gulf State, they largely base their food security on imports implemented by sea through the Ormuz Strait. Not only oil and LNG transports pass through this narrow passage between Iran and Oman, but also a significant part of agricultural products headed to ports in the region.

Estimates indicate that Saudi Arabia brings about 40% of cereals and oilseeds through ports located on the Persian Gulf. In the case of the United Arab Emirates, the dependency rate is even higher – up to 90% of such loads go to the country via a port in Dubai.

The same route – food and perishable products also reach Bahrain and Qatar. As a result, ports serving supply by the Ormuz Strait are responsible for supplying approximately 45-50 million inhabitants of the region.

Armed actions and Tehran decision

Concerns about the safety of maritime transport arose after the escalation of the conflict on Middle East. On 28 February, Israel and the United States began raids on Iran, which resulted in, among other things, the highest leader of this country Ali Chamenei, as reported on our portal (link to text).

In response, Tehran struck Israel and several Gulf states. The attacks included both American military bases and selected civilian objects. At the same time, Iran's authorities announced the blockade of the Ormuz Strait, one of the most important nodes in global energy shipping.

On Saturday, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned merchant ships against flowing through this water.

Risk to food security of the region

Experts stress that Gulf states are among the most dependent on food imports in the world. Analyst of Leiden University Christian Henderson pointed out that the disruptions in shipping could directly translate into rising prices and shortages of agricultural produce.

The impact can also be felt by the countries of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, such as Yemen, Sudan or Somalia. In many cases, the United Arab Emirates serves as a regional food handling hub.

Iran also dependent on grain imports

Paradoxically, the consequences of transport restrictions can also be affected by Iran itself. The country produces a large proportion of food for the internal market, but imports cereals and oil plants on a large scale.

Through the Ormuz Strait, corn, soya and wheat are sent to Iranian ports. In response to the situation, the authorities in Tehran imposed a ban on the export of food and agricultural products and called on the residents to refrain from the general stockpiling.

Even before the outbreak of the conflict, Iranian officials reported that the strategic wheat reserves were around 4 million tonnes, which should have been enough for four months, according to estimates.

Alternative transport routes with limited capacity

According to experts from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Iran is already partly using alternative directions and moprot. Some of the wheat goes to the country by land from Russia, while rice comes from Pakistan.

Supply through the Caspian Sea and the Red Sea are also considered. However, analysts point out that none of these directions has the potential to fully replace the importance of Gulf ports and the transport carried out by the Ormuz Strait.