Food security has become a weapon
Gulf Co-operation Council food imports at risk due to Iran war disruptions
Linda Ensor raises an important dimension of the Iran war that has received insufficient attention (“Middle East conflict hampers Western Cape business”, March 9). She notes that a significant share of Western Cape fruit exports, including pears, apples, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums, have for some years been destined for Middle East markets.
Much of the discussion about the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has focused on what leaves the Gulf region, particularly energy exports. It is also important to consider what enters the region through the same maritime corridor: food.
Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries import as much as 85% of their food requirements, and more than 70% of these imports transit the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime access is therefore a central pillar of the region’s food security.
Disruptions to the strait or surrounding shipping lanes would have clear economic and political repercussions. Kuwait has already banned the export of food products through its land, sea and airports.
Other states have greater logistical flexibility. Oman, for example, possesses major ports located west of the Strait of Hormuz that are connected to African trade routes, providing limited alternative supply channels.
The strategic implication is that food security has become another variable in the war of attrition unfolding in the Gulf. GCC states hosting US military bases bear the political and economic costs of a conflict in which they are not combatants.
As pressure on food supply chains increases so too may the diplomatic pressure on Washington to reconsider the duration and scope of its involvement in the conflict.
