New Delhi, March 14 -- Food crops are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the energy supply crunch caused by war in the Middle East, with farmers across Asia and Europe facing a scarcity of fuel needed to operate essential machinery.

Australian grain growers are facing fuel delivery cutbacks ahead of the planting season. In Bangladesh, some rice farmers cannot secure diesel to power irrigation pumps, while fishermen in the Philippines may soon need to keep their boats ashore. A prolonged supply crunch will drive up food bills and play into global concerns about inflation arising from the conflict.

"As soon as we get cracking, every tractor and piece of machinery will be running, busy - and guzzling diesel," said Richard Heady, a farmer ...