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BumRushDaShow

(168,998 posts) Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:18 PM 5 hrs ago

White House says US seeking fertilizer from Venezuela, Morocco

Source: Reuters

March 17, 2026 8:15 AM EDT Updated 7 hours ago

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is seeking other sources of fertilizer ‌amid the ongoing Iran war's shipping constraints, including from Venezuela and possibly Morocco, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Tuesday.

"We've ... established licenses for Venezuela to produce more fertilizer. We've had discussions with Morocco," ⁠he said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program, calling it "an insurance policy against disruption" for U.S. farmers.

"I'm not saying that we can eliminate what disruption there is so far, but we can minimize it," Hassett told CNBC in the interview.

Fertilizer supplies have shrunk as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran cut off critical nitrogen fertilizer ‌supplies ⁠from the Gulf to the world's farmers, sending prices spiking by more than one-third in recent weeks.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/white-house-says-us-seeking-fertilizer-venezuela-morocco-2026-03-17/

Going into spring planting season with the results of the tariffs and a couple wars. What did they think would happen?

9 replies

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Highlight:

White House says US seeking fertilizer from Venezuela, Morocco (Original Post) BumRushDaShow 5 hrs ago OP

These idiots Prairie Gates 5 hrs ago #1

They've destroyed farmers markets anyway Captain Zero 5 hrs ago #2

Something like 40% of urea for fertilizer comes through the Strait of Hormuz Prairie Gates 4 hrs ago #4

Petrochemicals modrepub 10 min ago #9

Corn, soybean, oats, Torchlight 4 hrs ago #3

Are they going to build their own bombs now? milestogo 4 hrs ago #5

Trump praised the man who is President of Venezuela. Insert string of expletives. twodogsbarking 3 hrs ago #6

Canada was a huge supplier of Potash to US fertilizer manufacturers.... OAITW r.2.0 3 hrs ago #7

I would think there would be plenty of fertilizer flowing out of the Oval Office.... Bayard 2 hrs ago #8

Prairie Gates

(8,028 posts)

1. These idiots

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:18 PM

5 hrs ago

Captain Zero

(8,871 posts)

2. They've destroyed farmers markets anyway

Reply to Prairie Gates (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:25 PM

5 hrs ago

Do farmers have any money to buy it?

Also some years ago I thought fertilizers were made in Omaha and North Carolina?
Did that get outsourced to the Arab Gulf states?

Prairie Gates

(8,028 posts)

4. Something like 40% of urea for fertilizer comes through the Strait of Hormuz

Reply to Captain Zero (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:33 PM

4 hrs ago

The US supposedly could be self-sufficient with other sources, but what happens when half the supply of a commodity drops out of a market? It's also getting right around to planting season across the northern hemisphere, so the timing isn't great either. The fact that they have to even make these deals and this announcement means that it's an issue they're hearing about.

modrepub

(4,081 posts)

9. Petrochemicals

Reply to Captain Zero (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 17, 2026, 09:18 PM

10 min ago

Oil is used in the creation of fertilizer and pharmaceuticals. Most folks don’t know this and Trump had no idea of it.

Oil, it’s more than just something you pump in your tank. And at some point in the future it will be too valuable to just power cars, trucks and ships.

Torchlight

(6,757 posts)

3. Corn, soybean, oats,

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2026, 04:31 PM

4 hrs ago

Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, lettuce, onions... on and on. These are spring crops we'll be paying dearly for in May for no other reason than our president is an idiot in golden robes.