NEW YORK, October 15. /TASS/. Iran and the United States should agree on an effective mechanism to ensure fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming weeks, or parts of Asia and Africa could face a food crisis, Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, told Reuters.

"It's absolutely crucial to get the deal in the next few weeks. Otherwise, we will miss the planting season," said Moreira da Silva, who also heads a UN task force on humanitarian shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. "If we miss that planting season, the productivity of agriculture would significantly drop and the impact on prices will significantly increase," he added.

According to the UN official, the issue of fertilizer transit requires an immediate solution. The United States and Iran should not make it conditional on a comprehensive agreement, which the parties may reach later. "What we are telling them is, while you continue your discussions towards a comprehensive deal, let us work, let us do our job," Moreira da Silva said.

"Before the war, the waterway handled roughly a third of globally traded urea - the world's most widely used fertilizer - and nearly half of seaborne sulphur, a key input," the news agency noted.