\n<\/p>\n
Gurvinder Singh never thought the war in Iran would touch his quiet corner of Punjab.<\/p>\n
Yet looking out over his smallholding, where he alternates between wheat and rice crops in the state known as India\u2019s breadbasket, the 52-year-old farmer can barely think of anything else. His anxiety over a conflict playing out thousands of miles away is crippling as he fears what will come of this season\u2019s rice crop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are already struggling with profits,\u201d Singh said. \u201cIf we don\u2019t get fertilisers, there will be less yield. That will affect my entire family and the entire region, because we are completely dependent on agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are praying this war stops because it will not spare us either,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s decision to blockade one of the world\u2019s critical shipping routes, the strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for the US and Israel\u2019s decision to launch strikes on the country over a month ago, has sent the world into a dizzying tailspin over the impact on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf states, which are now facing a global shortage.<\/p>\n
<\/gu-island><\/p>\n Yet analysts and global bodies warn that this impact will soon extend far beyond exorbitant prices for oil barrels and could prove devastating for global food security. There are rising fears of food shortages and shrinking stockpiles, particularly in developing countries, as agriculture is incapacitated. The World Food Programme has estimated that an extra 45 million people could be pushed into acute food insecurity<\/a> if the conflict does not end by June.<\/p>\n Experts say South Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka are particularly vulnerable, due to their heavy reliance on imported fertilisers and imported gas and fuel for farming. India is the world\u2019s second-largest fertiliser consumer after China, using more than 60m<\/a> tonnes annually, and most of its exports \u2013 including both finished products and raw materials \u2013 usually come from Gulf countries, shipped through the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n In countries such as India, the ripple effects of a gas and fertiliser shortage could be felt for months to come, affecting what crops farmers are able to plant and how much they yield, which could ultimately translate into stockpiles of essential produce such as rice falling short.<\/p>\n The ability for farmers to water, harvest, process, store and transport crops will also be drastically hit by oil and diesel shortages and surging electricity prices, triggering further worries over shortages.<\/p>\n