Government representatives, international institutions, private-sector partners, and farmers' organizations met in Rome on 2 July 2026 to address the global fertilizer crisis. Held under the Chatham House Rule, the roundtable examined the crisis's causes and impacts and identified steps to build a more resilient fertilizer supply chain. This important discussion was made possible by the ongoing engagement of the Global Partnership and Agriculture Program Lead, James Henderson, through the Rome Data Champions group.
Key discussion points
Shipping traffic through a key maritime strait has fallen to under 10% of normal capacity since late February 2026. The surrounding region supplies or handles a large share of the world's fertilizer trade, including roughly 46% of global seaborne urea and half of global sulfur exports, a critical raw material for fertilizer production. Nitrogen fertilizer prices spiked sharply when the disruption began. Diammonium phosphate has stayed near $750–800 per ton through June 2026, with no international strategic stockpiles in place to ease the pressure.
Participants described a "double squeeze": the shipping disruption itself, compounded by other countries restricting fertilizer exports to protect their own markets. These restrictions ease pressure at home but strand import-dependent economies elsewhere, particularly in Africa.
Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that a quarter to a third of global fertilizer supply is currently off-market, driving up farmers' costs through higher energy, shipping, and insurance expenses. A private-sector participant pointed to green ammonia and bio-fertilizers as longer-term alternatives, while cautioning that cost and infrastructure remain major barriers, and that farmers need near-term support to protect crop yields in the meantime.
Four priorities for action
The roundtable agreed on four pillars to guide a coordinated response:
- Policy coherence. Avoid new export restrictions, especially toward vulnerable regions such as Africa, and work with trade bodies like the WTO to align policy across countries.
- Diversification and partnerships. Build regional fertilizer hubs and storage capacity, strengthen supply-chain links, and invest in green ammonia and bio-fertilizer alternatives over the longer term.
- Rome-based leadership. Expand the Italian-led Fertilizer & Food Security Coalition, launched in April 2026, and strengthen coordination among the Rome-based UN agencies, with links to the incoming UK G20 presidency's agenda.
- Stronger implementation. Expand data and research on fertilizer markets and price transmission, and engage development banks and private finance to support storage, insurance, and risk-sharing tools for the countries most exposed.
Looking ahead
The roundtable was convened as part of a scoping effort to build the case for a Food Systems Collaborative: an informal, Rome-based platform bringing together governments, UN agencies, civil society, the private sector, and farmers' organizations for candid dialogue on urgent food-systems issues. The project is being carried forward by the Global Partnership, Global Sur Consulting, and ECDPM.
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