External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on 29 September warned of an imminent global food crisis, saying disruptions to grain shipments and fertiliser production — driven by ongoing conflicts — were already placing severe pressure on developing nations. Speaking at an event in New York, Jaishankar framed the risk as both urgent and preventable, urging policymakers worldwide to consider the wider consequences of their decisions.

The Four-Part Crisis

Jaishankar described the challenge facing much of the world as a four-part crisis spanning food, fuel, fertilisers, and finance. He linked the risk directly to strains on energy supplies, grain exports, and international financing flows — all of which, he argued, were being distorted by active conflicts.

He pointed specifically to the Ukraine conflict and the Iran-Gulf conflict as forces whose effects were being felt well beyond the countries directly involved. Disruptions to Black Sea shipping routes, he noted, were preventing some major grain exporters from sending shipments to global markets.

Jaishankar's Warning on Fertilisers and Grain

'We are already looking at major significant fertilizer shortages,' Jaishankar said. He added that a major food crisis was likely 'in the coming months,' presenting the scenario as a serious risk rather than a fait accompli. The minister's framing was deliberate — the crisis, he suggested, could still be mitigated if governments acted responsibly.

Energy markets compounded the concern. Jaishankar said the market was already tight, and that political decisions affecting oil supplies could push prices higher at precisely the moment when importing countries needed stability. He described the security of energy supply and the politics surrounding it as interconnected pressures with cascading consequences.

Call for Global Responsibility

Jaishankar was pointed in his criticism of self-interested policymaking. 'Countries should not be so self-centered that you're in your own world and take your decision,' he said, arguing that leaders had a responsibility to understand how their choices would affect populations elsewhere — particularly in nations with fewer resources to absorb shocks.

He also warned against allowing vulnerable states to slide into deep distress. Past collapses in governance had exacted a cost on global security, he argued, and meeting basic needs was both a matter of solidarity and practical common sense. This comes amid mounting concern that progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — adopted in 2015 as a framework for poverty, health, and education targets by 2030 — is falling behind schedule.

India's Stake and the Global South

Jaishankar said India, as a post-colonial society, felt a particular connection with developing countries navigating these pressures. But he argued that wealthier nations also had a tangible, self-interested reason to prevent instability in the Global South. He pointed to the political fallout from economic stress in India's neighbourhood following the Ukraine war as evidence of how quickly financial shocks translate into governance crises.

Notably, the minister's remarks came during a broader discussion on the pressures facing countries that seek to preserve strategic autonomy amid competition among larger powers — a recurring theme in India's foreign policy positioning. Conflicts also redirected capital toward safer destinations, he said, draining investment away from countries in the Global South that could least afford it.

What Comes Next

With fertiliser shortages already materialising and Black Sea grain corridors under strain, the window for preventive action is narrowing. International bodies, including the United Nations, face renewed pressure to coordinate supply-side interventions and financing relief for the most exposed economies. Jaishankar's remarks signal that New Delhi intends to keep the Global South's food and energy vulnerabilities at the centre of its multilateral agenda in the months ahead.