Australia could run out of a crucial component of diesel fuel within weeks, with an expert warning nobody knows how much we have left.
The nation, along with other developed nations, has been facing an AdBlue crisis for weeks, with fears that if the additive runs out, trucks could be taken off the road, sparking a chain of shortages on supermarket shelves across the country.
Urea is a large component in fertiliser and a key ingredient in AdBlue. Australia typically imports the ingredient from China, but a recent halt on exports has had a significant effect on supply.
Transport and agriculture industries warn that without AdBlue – which can’t be made without urea – trucks could be unable to transport fresh fruit and vegetables along with other staples to supermarket shelves.
“Most trucks have to use AdBlue. The major ingredient in that is urea, and obviously China has now halted the export of urea … 80 per cent of our urea comes from China,” Marcus Carmont, executive director of supply chain consulting firm TMX Global, told the ABC.
“We saw Indonesia give us 5000 tonnes of urea, that largely will last us a week. The biggest issue we face here is if we don’t have AdBlue and trucks can’t deliver things like fuel, this will create a major squeeze.
“I think the challenge we see at the moment is I don’t think anyone actually knows how much we have left, which in its own right is a major concern at the moment.”