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RUSSIAN producers of mineral fertilisers are ready to double their shipments to African countries in the next five years.

This was announced by Mr Andrey Guryev, President of the Russian Fertiliser Producers Association (RFPA), on the sidelines of the recent second Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg.

Mr Guryev said 60% of arable land in Africa is not being utilised for agriculture while UN statistics indicate that 40% of the land in the continentsuffers from degradation due to the presence of cadmium and heavy metal impurities from fertilisers.

He said approximately 278 million people (20% of the population) suffer from chronic hunger and if the current trend of food imports continues, which currently amounts to a massive $55 billion, it is expected to double by 2030. “Russia holds about 10% 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 tons in 2022. Russian fertilisers are used in 25 countries across the continent,” said Mr Guryev. The main products, he said, include NPK, ammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate, and urea while the leading suppliers of Russian fertilisers 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 fertilisers), Tanzania (DAP, nitrogen), and Côte d’Ivoire (nitrogen, NPK). “Russian fertilier 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,” said Mr Guryev. “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.

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

Mr Guryev said the deepening Russian-African cooperation in the field of mineral fertilisers include increasing volumes and expanding the geographical scope of shipments.

“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.

“Scientific and technical cooperation, 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.”

The Russian Fertiliser Producers Association was established in 2008 by Russia’s largest producers of mineral fertilisers to represent and protect their interests in addressing key issues related to the development of the mineral fertiliser industry.

The Association currently has 15 members, which supply more than 90% of the total Russian market for mineral fertilisers.