Strait of Hormuz disruption raises food supply risks across Gulf region

Riyadh, March 21 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is raising food supply risks across the Gulf region, threatening a waterway that serves as a critical route not only for global energy flows but also for imports relied on by more than 100 million people.

Oil and liquefied natural gas tankers moving through the strait carry around 20% of the world’s supply, but for Gulf states the passage is also a key route for food shipments and other essential goods.

As the United States and Israel’s war with Iran disrupts traffic through the waterway, pressure is also mounting on food supply chains into the region.

With summer temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius and limited cultivatable land, Gulf Arab states depend heavily on imports for food, while much of their drinking water comes from desalination plants.

Saudi Arabia imports more than 80% of its food, the United Arab Emirates about 90%, and Qatar around 98%, according to the figures cited in the report. In Iraq, too, most food imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite the country’s access to two major rivers.

The majority of food shipments to the region pass through the strait, which is now described in the report as effectively blocked because of attacks on commercial ships in the area.

Food shippers are seeking alternative routes, but those routes are more costly, face logistical strain and cannot fully replace the disrupted flow, raising the prospect of higher prices and reduced choice for consumers across the region.