With the beginning of the large-scale Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, the production of nitrogen fertilizers by Ukrainian producers decreased by 5 times from March to May if compared to the same period last year, Ukrainian Congress of Farmers reported.
During this period, almost all fertilizers were sent to the domestic market. The volume of imports of nitrogen fertilizers also decreased by 5 times.
The production of Ukrainian complex fertilizers from March to May decreased by 3 times compared to the same period in the previous period. The imports decreased by more than 6 times during this period.
The most painful issue is the potassium chloride sector, as it is completely import-dependent. Moreover, a third of these fertilizers used to come from Belarus. In 2021, the supply of potassium on the Ukrainian market consisted of 199.2 thsd tonnes of Belarusian product, 72.6 thsd tonnes of Uzbek product and 9.2 thsd tonnes of other suppliers, mostly European. To date, supplies of fertilizers from Belarus have been suspended. To replace them, 40% of potassium is supplied from Germany. There are also deliveries from Poland and Serbia.
However, according to experts, supplies of fertilizers from other countries require additional logistical solutions, as Ukrainian ports are blocked and other checkpoints are usually not suitable for transshipment of fertilizers.
