US farm secretary says USDA is speaking with White House daily on high fertilizer prices

WASHINGTON: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is ‌speaking daily ⁠with ⁠the White House and other agencies about high fertilizer prices and that the agency would announce action on the issue soon. The Iran war has driven up fertilizer prices ⁠as more ‌than 30% of global exports were caught in Iran's near-total ⁠closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In ​addition to the daily calls, ​which include the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Homeland Security, Rollins told the agriculture subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee that ‌she is also speaking with the heads of major fertilizer ​companies.

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"Obviously, ​the short-term ⁠issues are acute and really require significant effort as we work to bring ​those prices down," Rollins said.

Rollins said forthcoming announcements would include short- and long-term strategies to bring prices down.