Agriculture Minister Raises Regional Concern Over Global Fertilizer Supply Bottlenecks
NAIROBI, KENYA—Nigeria has raised an alarm over the escalating scarcity and cost of fertilizer inputs across Sub-Saharan Africa, blaming Middle East geopolitical instability and fractured global logistics. Speaking at the Africa-France Summit, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari met with IFAD to evaluate West African supply chain vulnerabilities. With shipping disruptions driving up freight charges for nitrogen and phosphate bases, Nigeria is working with development partner
Nigeria has sounded an alarm regarding the escalating scarcity and cost of fertilizer inputs across Sub-Saharan Africa, attributing the agricultural headwind to geopolitical instability in the Middle East and fractured global logistics chains.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, brought the issue forward during high-level diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the Africa-France Summit in Nairobi. Leading a portion of Nigeria's food security delegation, Kyari held extensive strategy sessions with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to evaluate the vulnerability of West African input supply chains.
The ministry noted that disruptions in key shipping corridors have driven up global freight charges for essential nitrogen and phosphate bases. With domestic fertilizer blending plants feeling the squeeze of raw material delays, Nigerian authorities are working with development partners to explore localized organic alternatives and fast-track regional trade agreements to shield local smallholders from international price shocks.
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