Overview
- India's foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, speaking at the Asia Society in New York on Monday, warned of a "major food crisis" in the coming months as food, fuel, fertiliser and finance pressures pile up.
- He said blocked Black Sea grain shipments and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have constrained seaborne grain and fertiliser flows, raising costs and limiting exports to vulnerable importers.
- Jaishankar flagged the prospect of a strong El Niño that could reduce crop yields and worsen the supply squeeze while also noting attacks on Russian facilities and West Asia energy cuts have curtailed fertiliser production and raw materials.
- The Union government has already revised India's 2026–27 foodgrain target down to 373.9 million tonnes, citing El Niño risks, as policymakers monitor shipping, fertiliser flows and crop forecasts.
- Developing countries face the sharpest pressure because investors are moving money to safer assets, which tightens financing for importers, and experts urge de‑escalation, freedom of navigation and supply‑chain diversification to reduce risk.