EAM Jaishankar warns of ‘major food crisis’ in coming months
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has warned that the convergence of the Ukraine and Iran-Gulf conflicts is creating a severe global crisis involving energy, food, and fertilizer shortages. He emphasized that these pressures are disproportionately impacting Global South economies and could lead to widespread political instability.
Why it matters
The warning highlights the vulnerability of global supply chains and the potential for geopolitical conflicts to trigger systemic economic distress and food insecurity in developing nations.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has warned of a “major food crisis” in the coming months, in addition to the already significant fertiliser shortages the world is witnessing due to the Ukraine and Iran conflicts, saying the situation is “very very stressful” for Global South economies.
“… this is a big concern for us, which is, if you look at these two conflicts, the Ukraine and now the Iran-Gulf conflict, they've actually had a devastating impact on Global South economies,” Mr. Jaishankar said during a conversation hosted at Asia Society in New York on Monday (September 28, 2026).
He said there is particular concern about the energy situation as the "market is very tight” and on top of that, if “people play politics with it, that adds to the complications in the market,” as that will drive up prices at a time when people should actually be stabilising prices.
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