Reuters
The Donald Trump administration is seeking other sources of fertilizers amid transport limitations caused by the war in Iran, including Venezuela and possibly Morocco, White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said Tuesday. According to Reuters, "We have... established licenses for Venezuela to produce more fertilizer. We have had conversations with Morocco," he stated on CNBC's "Squawk Box," calling it "an insurance policy against disruptions" for American farmers. "I'm not saying that we can eliminate the disruptions that are there so far, but we can minimize them," Hassett added during the interview. Fertilizer supplies have been reduced as the war between the United States and Israel against Iran has cut off key supplies of nitrogen fertilizers from the Gulf to farmers worldwide, causing prices to soar by more than a third in recent weeks. The head of EU foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, has raised the idea of replicating a United Nations-brokered deal that allowed exports of goods from Ukraine in wartime. This mechanism allows Ukraine to export grains, food, and fertilizers through the Black Sea without civilian ships being attacked by Russia. Kallas noted that she has spoken with UN Secretary-General António Guterres about this idea and that the United Nations is "working on it."
