The Hormuz crisis has driven fertilizer prices in Türkiye up by between 8 percent and 55 percent, leaving farmers caught between two difficult choices: lower yields or higher costs.
Farmers now face the dilemma of either reducing fertilizer use—risking lower productivity and smaller harvests—or bearing the burden of sharply increased expenses. Both scenarios point to higher fruit and vegetable prices for consumers.
Restrictions on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are estimated to have caused a 33 percent contraction in the global fertilizer supply chain. Fertilizer prices, heavily dependent on natural gas—which accounts for 80–90 percent of production costs—have risen rapidly. For example, Middle East-origin urea fertilizer jumped from $482 per ton on Feb. 27 to $750 per ton by the end of March, a 56 percent increase.
This global surge has also pushed prices higher in Türkiye. Arslan Soydan, a board member of the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers (TZOB), noted that the impact is particularly severe for hazelnut producers in the Black Sea region. He reported that ammonium nitrate fertilizer rose 40 percent to 23,000 Turkish liras, while ammonium sulfate climbed 50 percent to 22,000 liras. Soydan warned that reduced fertilizer use in hazelnut orchards could lead to lower yields and significant crop losses.
Soydan emphasized that the rise in fertilizer costs will inevitably be reflected in fruit and vegetable prices. “We first see risks in field crops, but in the coming period both field and fruit prices will rise. Fertilizer costs will be passed on to all products,” he said. He welcomed the government’s recent decision to zero customs duties on certain fertilizers, saying it would help mitigate price volatility and support farmers.
Mustafa Bekar, head of the TZOB’s Ortahisar Chamber in Trabzon, added that rising costs are forcing farmers to cut back on fertilizer use. He noted that reduced consumption will affect yields, and farmers are turning to traditional methods to avoid losses. “Farmers are trying to keep production going, but they are in a difficult situation,” he said.
Türkiye’s fertilizer sector remains heavily import-dependent, with more than 90 percent of chemical fertilizer inputs sourced abroad.
Apart from phosphate deposits in Mazıdağı, Mardin, the country lacks significant raw material resources. According to the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, Türkiye imported 5.2 million tons of fertilizer in 2023.
