Russian producers of mineral fertilisers say they are ready to double their shipments to African countries in the next five years.
This was announced by Andrey Guryev, President of the Russian Fertiliser Producers Association (RFPA), on the sidelines of the just-ended second Russia-Africa Summit held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
He said increasing volumes and expanding the geographical scope of shipments to Africa was top on the agenda of the producers.
"Russian fertilisers 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," he said.
Russia, he said, was keen on cooperating with African countries in Scientific and technical areas, exchanging experiences in the extraction and processing of mineral resources with African fertiliser 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 fertilisers," he said.
Regarding the food security situation in the African continent, he said 60 per cent of arable lands on the continent was not being utilised for agriculture.
According to UN statistics, 40 per cent of the lands in Africa suffer from degradation due to the presence of cadmium and heavy metal impurities from fertilisers.
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.
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Regarding the performance and plans of Russian fertiliser producers in Africa, he said, Russia holds about 10 per cent of the African market for mineral fertilisers.
"Over the past five years, Russia has more than doubled its shipments of mineral fertilisers to African countries, reaching 1.6 million tonnes in 2022. Russian fertilisers are used in 25 countries across the continent," he said.
The main products include NPK, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, and urea. The leading suppliers of Russian fertilisers to the African continent are PhosAgro (33%) and EuroChem (25%).
The primary markets for Russian fertilisers are South Africa (ammonium phosphate), Morocco (ammonium nitrate, urea), Senegal (nitrogen fertilisers), Tanzania (DAP, nitrogen), and Côte d'Ivoire (nitrogen, NPK).
Russian fertiliser producers continually expand their product range for African countries.
They have developed new fertiliser 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 fertilisers contain added calcium, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, and boron.
