Rep. McDonald Rivet, Agriculture Committee Members Demand Solutions to Skyrocketing Fertilizer & Food Prices Caused by the Iran War
“For our country’s farmers, the timing could not be worse.”
WASHINGTON— Today, Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08), Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02), Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown (OH-11), and members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture urged the Administration to take action to bring down fertilizer prices for farmers, which are skyrocketing due to the war in the Middle East.
“The last thing family farmers need right now is another hit to their bottom lines, but the Administration’s war in Iran is sending their fertilizer prices skyrocketing right at the start of planting season,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. “Our farmers simply cannot afford it, and families can’t afford to pay even more for groceries. The Administration needs to act to keep the cost crisis from getting worse.”
Countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, supply crucial ingredients for American fertilizer production. However, since the war in Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, nations have been unable to transport these products to the United States. Fertilizer production facilities in the area have already begun to shut down, and fertilizer prices worldwide are skyrocketing, which will ultimately raise the prices of groceries in America.
Joining Congresswoman McDonald Rivet, Ranking Member Craig, and Vice Ranking Member Brown on the letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are Representatives David Scott (GA-13), Jim Costa (CA-21), Alma Adams (NC-12), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), John Mannion (NY-22), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), and Salud Carbajal (CA-24).
The letter from the lawmakers reads, in part, “Now, when so many farmers are already being crushed by the weight of high input prices, this Administration’s war with Iran has caused fertilizer prices to increase exponentially… It has become increasingly clear that the Administration decided to initiate hostilities without considering the obviously foreseeable consequences this would have upon American agriculture and the global economy.
“For our country’s farmers, the timing could not be worse. Farmers are in the early stages of planting season, and while some farmers may have locked in prices just before the war, others will be left paying untenable prices. The abrupt start of this war without the necessary planning for the economic fallout has left farmers, and all Americans, in a precarious position… Given that the President created this situation, we believe it is incumbent upon USDA and the broader Administration to present to our nation’s farmers an actionable plan to stabilize fertilizer prices.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.