Approximately one-third of the global fertilizer supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Said by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 4 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 75%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
Multiple sources, including UN and UNCTAD officials, state that about one-third of global fertilizer trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and this was true as of 2026-10-24. Other sources give somewhat lower figures (about 30%, or 20-30%), and the claim says 'supply' where the sources mostly say 'trade', but these differences are within rounding of 'approximately one-third'.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… It makes sense for soft power. Then Linda McMahon canceled the farm-to-cafeteria program. Then Trump's tariff pushed China away, our largest purchaser of soybeans. Then all of your farm machinery runs on diesel, and finally, a third of the fertilizer in the world goes through the Strait of Hormuz. And so you've got all these farmers who supported Trump so strongly that are on the verge of declaring bankruptcy, that don't even know if they will plant their crops. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. A UN task force head states that one-third of all fertilizers in the world go through the Strait of Hormuz, and UN News reports one-third of global fertilizer trade passes through the corridor in normal times.[2]
Supports. UNCTAD data cited in a Yahoo article and by Weathernews state that about one-third of world fertilizer shipments, or of global seaborne fertilizer trade, normally pass through the strait.[3][4]
Supports. The Globe and Mail reports that approximately one-third of the world's fertilizer passes through the Middle East trade corridor, citing the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck.[5]
Context. Reuters cites about 30% of traded fertiliser passing through the strait, and FAO states up to 30% of internationally traded fertilizers normally transit it, a figure close to one-third.[1][6]
Context. Some estimates are lower, such as a 20-30% range for fertilizer exports in an IEEE-linked analysis, so the precise share depends on the measure and dataset used.[7]
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 6 not rated
- 1Analysis: Could Hormuz be the crisis that finally makes the world rethink farming?reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Strait of Hormuz: With hunger looming, life-saving fertilizer ...news.un.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3Food prices could rise as Strait of Hormuz closures ...yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Fertilizer Supplies Caught Between Hormuz and El Niño, Risking a ...sea.weathernews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Nutrien CEO says Mideast war continues to disrupt fertilizer demand, pricestheglobeandmail.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6INFORMATION NOTE 15 March 2026 - openknowledge.fao.orgopenknowledge.fao.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 7The Hormuz blockade and fertilizers: conflict today and ...defensa.gob.es · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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