Ambassador: Belarus' disappearance from list of potash suppliers in 2022 resulted in 17% drop in grain harvest in Africa
The decline in exports of potash fertilisers from Belarus in 2022 led to a drop in the global potash market by 16 percent, or 6 million tonnes compared to 2021 – as noted by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia, Dmitry Krutoi, at the recent Ukrainian Crisis: Role of Humanitarian and Mediation Initiatives of Neutral Actors round table discussion, the diplomatic mission reports
Assessing the current issue of extending the grain deal, Mr. Krutoi noted that food security is directly related to fertilisers. “Belarus has repeatedly drawn attention at various venues to the fact that illegal Western sanctions against its potash industry have extremely negative consequences for the global food market," he said. “Belaruskali is the second largest potash producer in the world. Prior to the illegal termination of the transit of Belarusian fertilisers through the ports of the Baltic States (which violates, among other aspects, the legal rights of a landlocked country), Belarus' share in the world trade in potash fertilisers was 22.5 percent. The decline in exports from Belarus in 2022 led to a drop in the global potash market by 16 percent, or 6 million tonnes compared to 2021.”
The diplomat stressed that the illegal and absurd actions of Lithuania and Poland threaten the food security of not only individual countries, but entire regions and continents. “According to our estimates based on UN FAO data, the almost complete disappearance of Belarus from the list of potassium suppliers in 2022 led to a 17 percent drop in the grain harvest in Africa. This year, supplies to Africa have remained completely paralysed due to the actions of Lithuania. In this regard, the Belarusian side is in constant contact with Russia and the UN structures and hopes for the speedy lifting of sanctions on Belarusian potash, the restoration of its unhindered transit to world markets," Mr. Krutoi summed up.
