The escalating conflict in the Middle East has ceased to be a strictly regional issue and has become a critical destabilizing factor in global commodity markets. With crude oil prices exceeding $90-$100 per barrel due to instability in the Strait of Hormuz, the energy industry has turned its attention to biofuels, triggering a domino effect that directly impacts the animal nutrition sector.

The relentless rise in oil prices has driven up the profitability and demand for biodiesel. In this scenario, vegetable oils (soybean, palm, and sunflower), essential components in livestock feed, are being massively absorbed by biofuel refineries. This massive diversion of supply from the food sector to the energy sector is causing a shortage of oilseed byproducts and a historic price increase for vegetable fats used in animal feed.

This is compounded by increases in the price of transport and auxiliary raw materials, which are producing a significant increase in prices at origin and destination for consumers.

For companies like Riosa, the situation presents a double challenge: volatile farmgate prices and the logistical strain stemming from the conflict. As long as energy remains tied to oil shortages, livestock farming faces unprecedented cost pressures. This is not just a war for geopolitical control, but a struggle for resources that are the first link in the global food chain.