Russia has now claimed the position of the world’s second-largest producer of mineral fertilizer, announced Andrey Guryev, the head of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers, according to a report from RT.
In a Thursday meeting with President Vladimir Putin on, Guryev highlighted the nation’s growth in this industry, with output increasing by 40% over the past decade to reach 55 million tons annually.
The association head also noted that domestic fertilizer supplies have grown by a record 2.5 times to 13.2 million tons.
“We overtook the United States, India in production and today we are the largest producer of mineral fertilizers in the world after China,” Guryev stated.
He also revealed plans to further boost output to 70 million tons within the next five years.
Russia holds the title of the world’s largest exporter of fertilizers, supplying approximately 38 million tons per year, RT notes.
The International Fertilizers Association reported that, at the beginning of 2022, Russian exports constituted 15% of global fertilizer exports, followed by China with 13% and Canada with 7%.
However, Guryev admitted that exports decreased by about 15% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
He attributed this decline to Western sanctions related to Ukraine and the subsequent export complications that arose.
Although Russian agricultural products have not been directly targeted by sanctions, these restrictions have led to difficulties for the nation’s exporters, as a significant number of shipments remain blocked in European ports.
The Black Sea grain deal, a UN-Türkiye-brokered agreement, aims to alleviate obstacles to Russian fertilizer exports as part of its efforts to facilitate the export of Ukrainian and Russian agricultural goods.
Despite several extensions, the deal is set to expire on May 18.
Russia has consistently claimed that the aspects of the deal pertaining to its agricultural and fertilizer exports have not been implemented, warning that it may withdraw its participation if the situation remains unchanged.
President Putin voiced his concerns on Thursday, pointing out that the sanctions impacting Russian fertilizer exports have already harmed numerous countries that rely on them.
“Sanctions were imposed by countries that do not particularly need our fertilizers, and the developing markets now suffer from it. They imposed sanctions against us, but the developing markets of Africa, Latin America, Asia suffered the most,” he explained.
The Russian president went on to emphasize that the lack of fertilizers could lead to reduced harvests, which may result in global food shortages and a surge in food prices.
