Shipping crisis halts rice exports to Iraq

2026-03-28 - 21:20

Shafaq News- Baghdad Surging freight rates and a shortage of containers have disrupted global rice trade, with shipments to Iraq from Asia now halted, according to S&P Global’s Platts. A Bangkok-based trader reported that exports to Iraq have stopped as instability in the Gulf and rising maritime costs make the route commercially unviable. Fuel-linked surcharges and tightening container availability are forcing exporters to reconsider contracts, reshaping flows across key Asian supply routes.