Russian producers of mineral fertilizers are ready to double their shipments to African countries

Russian producers of mineral fertilizers are ready to double their shipments to African countries in the next five years. This was announced by Andrey Guryev, President of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RFPA), on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit, taking place in Saint Petersburg.

Regarding the food security situation in the African continent:

• 60% of arable land on the continent is not being utilized for agriculture.

• According to UN statistics, 40% of the land in Africa suffers from degradation due to the presence of cadmium and heavy metal impurities from fertilizers.

• Approximately 278 million people (20% of the population) suffer from chronic hunger.

• If the current trend of food imports continues, which currently amounts to a massive $55 billion, it is expected to double by 2030.

Regarding the performance and plans of Russian fertilizer producers in Africa:

• Russia holds about 10% of the African market for mineral fertilizers. Over the past five years, Russia has more than doubled its shipments of mineral fertilizers to African countries, reaching 1.6 million tons in 2022. Russian fertilizers are used in 25 countries across the continent.

• The main products include NPK, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, and urea. The leading suppliers of Russian fertilizers to the African continent are PhosAgro (33%) and EuroChem (25%).

• The primary markets for Russian fertilizers are South Africa (ammonium phosphate), Morocco (ammonium nitrate, urea), Senegal (nitrogen fertilizers), Tanzania (DAP, nitrogen), and Côte d'Ivoire (nitrogen, NPK).

• Russian fertilizer producers continually expand their product range for African countries. They have developed new fertilizer brands with minimal acidifying effects, which are particularly relevant due to the high acidity levels of local soils. They have also created brands with high granule solubility, essential in dry climate conditions. Additionally, these fertilizers contain added calcium, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, and boron.

• Domestic Russian fertilizers do not contain harmful concentrations of cadmium and other toxic substances, ensuring the health of African soils and agricultural produce.

Promising directions for the development of the Russian-African cooperation in the field of mineral fertilizers include:

• Increasing volumes and expanding the geographical scope of shipments. Russian fertilizers are currently used in 25 African countries, and we are willing to discuss terms of mutually beneficial cooperation with companies from the remaining 30 countries. We aim to once again double shipments to the African continent within the next five years.

• Scientific and technical cooperation, exchanging experiences in the extraction and processing of mineral resources with African fertilizer producers to implement modern and efficient technologies in their production processes.

• Collaborating with educational institutions in Africa to raise awareness among farmers and consumers of agricultural produce about the risks associated with heavy metal content, particularly cadmium, in fertilizers.