CANBERRA: Australia has set up a government working group with the fertiliser industry to safeguard urea supplies at risk from disruptions linked to the war in Iran, agriculture minister Julie Collins says.

About 60% of Australia’s urea – a key nitrogen fertiliser used to boost crop yields – typically passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that remains constrained despite a US-Iran ceasefire that took effect April 8, Collins told Sky News Australia yesterday.