Global Shock, Local Pain: What the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Means for Food Security in Nigeria

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global fertiliser supply shock that threatens Nigerian food security by increasing agricultural production costs and food prices. Despite record domestic urea production in 2024, Nigeria remains vulnerable due to the export of most urea and a continued reliance on imported blending materials from Russia, Morocco, and China. These external shocks compound existing internal strains, including regional insecurity and infrastructure gaps, disproportionately affecting smallholder farmers who cannot absorb rising costs. The document argues for a pivot toward emergency procurement, improved trade finance, and expanded domestic blending capacity to build long-term resilience.

• The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has created a global fertiliser supply shock that increases agricultural production costs and food prices in Nigeria through higher energy and freight costs, tighter insurance, and delayed shipments, coinciding with the start of the planting season.
• Nigeria's domestic urea production reached a record 4.18 million metric tonnes in 2024 (a 13% increase from 2023), but this provides only a partial shield because most output is exported and the remaining domestic supply is sold at international market prices.
• Nigeria remains dependent on imported materials for blended NPK fertilisers, specifically potash, phosphate, and granular ammonium sulphate, primarily sourced from China, Morocco, and Russia. In 2024, imports included 179,000 tonnes of diammonium phosphate, 191,000 tonnes of muriate of potash, and 389,000 tonnes of ammonium sulphate.
• The impact of the supply shock is exacerbated by existing structural weaknesses in Nigeria, including insecurity in agricultural regions, transport and warehousing gaps, and high food inflation, with smallholder farmers being the most vulnerable as they cannot absorb higher costs.

APA

Bello-Schunemann, J. (2026). Global Shock, Local Pain: What the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Means for Food Security in Nigeria. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/global-shock-local-pain-what-the-strait-of-hormuz-disruption-means-for-food-security-in-nigeria/

Chicago

Bello-Schunemann, Julia. Global Shock, Local Pain: What the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Means for Food Security in Nigeria. Good Governance Africa, 2026. https://gga.org/global-shock-local-pain-what-the-strait-of-hormuz-disruption-means-for-food-security-in-nigeria/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bello-Schunemann |first1=Julia |title=Global Shock, Local Pain: What the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Means for Food Security in Nigeria |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=19 May 2026 |url=https://gga.org/global-shock-local-pain-what-the-strait-of-hormuz-disruption-means-for-food-security-in-nigeria/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{belloschunemann2026global, author = {Bello-Schunemann, Julia}, title = {{Global Shock, Local Pain: What the Strait of Hormuz Disruption Means for Food Security in Nigeria}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://gga.org/global-shock-local-pain-what-the-strait-of-hormuz-disruption-means-for-food-security-in-nigeria/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }