Ag & War
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. International events are increasingly putting U.S. agriculture in the crosshairs of foreign policy.
First, it was Russia-Ukraine and the war’s impact on world grain and fertilizer supplies. Now, it’s Iran and the hit to fuel, fertilizer, and food impeded through the Strait of Hormuz.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a White House press briefing …
RUBIO … “There’s humanitarian aid destined for different countries in the world that’s stranded in the Persian Gulf right now. It’s the fertilizer that they need for their food and crops.”
About one-third of the world’s fertilizer and a fifth of its oil moves out of the Gulf through the Strait, raising fuel, fertilizer, and food prices.
And Rubio warns it can happen anywhere …
RUBIO … “If we live in a world where global shipping lanes can be taken over by countries, that’ll have an impact on Americans in the short and long-term, and we can’t let it start with Iran doing it.”
President Trump is about to go to China, an ally of Iran and its biggest oil buyer. China wants a U.S.-Iran truce and a continued trade truce with Washington.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer wants stability …
GREER … “When we think about what to expect from the president’s meeting, we’re looking to maintain that stability. What we are not looking for is massive confrontation or anything like that.”
The summit could yield more soy buys while cutting short new U.S. trade investigations of China.
