Elizabeth Wangua applies fertilizer to her land in Limuru, Kenya Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jackson Njehia)
Besides oil and gas, Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off shipments of crucial goods and raw materials to world markets.
Overall volumes of dry bulk goods fell from 7.5 million tons in February to 1.3 million tons in March, according to data from maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine, an 83-percent decline.
Within dry goods, "bulk commodities" exports include raw materials such as limestone for cement-making, sulphur for fertilizers and industrial chemicals, and gypsum for construction, agriculture and manufacturing.
Overall shipments of this class of commodities through the strait fell 93 percent in March compared with February, from nearly five million tons to just 326,000.
Fertilizers such as urea are crucial for crop production, with exports through Hormuz typically heading to Brazil, China, India and Africa.
Fertilizer shipments through the passage fell 92 percent from over a million tons in February to just 82,000 in March.
Iron ore is a crucial ingredient for making the steel that goes into everything from buildings to vehicles to machinery.
Exports of iron ore through the strait fell by 65 percent in March from the month before, from over 530,000 tons to 186,000.
Shipments of steel fell 93 percent from nearly 162,000 tons to 11,000.
Meanwhile grain shipments westbound through the strait into the Gulf plunged 92 percent from 2.3 million tons to 196,000.
