Warnings that Iran war risks global food crisis
5/1/202648 min
The head of one of the world's biggest fertiliser manufacturers has warned that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz - as a result of the war on Iran - could cost the world up to ten billion meals a week. Svein Holsether, who runs Yara, said farmers in the poorest countries would be hit first by the interruption to production and supply caused by the ongoing hostilities. We hear from two countries particularly affected by the shortage in industrial fertiliser.
Also in the programme: despair then relief for the Oscar winner who thought an airline had lost his award; and for the first time the nose of a mouse has been mapped showing us more about the way mammals smell.
(Photo: Farmers in Aceh labour amid possible fertilizer shortage due to war in Middle East. Indonesia, 28 March 2026. Credit 2026 Shutterstock Editorial. EPA/Shutterstock )
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsTim Franks· Host0:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
Hannah Gelbart0:03
[short musical burst] Can one country steal another country's rain clouds? This conspiracy theory has been repeated by politicians. It's gone viral online, and it's tapped into fears of water shortages in the Middle East. So where does the idea come from, and is it scientifically possible? I'm Hannah Gelbart. Join me on What in the World?, a daily podcast from the BBC World Service. We cover news and trending topics in less than fifteen minutes. You can find us wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Tim Franks· Host0:34
[rain falling] [short musical burst] [upbeat musical jingle] Hello, and welcome to News Hour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service studios in Central London. I'm Tim Franks. We're beginning the program with some figures, some of which may seem familiar, one of which seems mind-blowing, and more is leading to warnings of a slow-motion famine machine, as it's been called. The familiar figures are amo-about the amount of traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz, that vital and blockaded waterway to the south of Iran. The latest numbers suggest that just a few ships are managing to pass through the US and Iranian blockade each day. Analysts with the British Navy have said today that overall shipping traffic has dropped more than ninety percent since the conflict began. So much, perhaps so familiar,