Russian authorities and the country’s fertilizer companies have assured Brazil’s government that they will meet fertilizer delivery commitments, Bloomberg reported, citing Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina Corrêa da Costa, in an emailed statement on Nov. 22. Representatives from the various parties met last week.
Russia accounts for about 20 percent of Brazil’s fertilizer imports, and the commitment means Brazil will have enough fertilizer to deliver good yields in coming seasons, according to the report, citing the Brazilian minister.
The supply concerns follow the Russian government’s move to limit the volume of nitrogen fertilizers and DAP, MAP, and complex fertilizer exports for a period of six months, starting from Dec. 1, 2021, through to May 31, 2022 in a bid to safeguard local supplies and stabilize pricing for the Russian farmers (GM Nov. 5, p. 1).
For the six-month period specified by the government – Dec. 1, 2021- May 31, 2022 – the export quotas for nitrogen fertilizers will be 5.9 million mt, and for phosphate fertilizers, such as MAP/DAP, and for NPKs 5.35 million mt. The non-tariff quotas are half of Russian producers’ export volumes last year, according to PhosAgro Senior Marketing Expert Andrey Ryabinin (GM Nov. 12, p. 30).
Sectoral sanctions against Belarus’ Lukashenko regime, which have included restrictions on the export of certain grades of potash and the prospect of further sanctions by the U.S., also have heightened concerns in Brazil about potash supply disruptions and rising prices.
According to a report last week by Belarusian pro-democracy and pro-human rights newssite Charter 97, citing an interview with Brazil’s Agriculture Minister in the Estado de São Paulo newspaper, Brazil wants to increase the supply of potash from Russia.
Last year, potash imports from Russia accounted for 28 percent of total import volume, and from Belarus 22 percent. To the end of October 2021, imports from the two countries as a proportion of total imports remained at the full-year 2020 levels.
Brazil’s MOP Imports from Russia and Belarus
| ‘000 mt | FY2020 | % of total imports | Jan.-End-Oct. 2021 | Jan.-End-Oct. 2020 | % y-on-y change |
| Total imports | 11,236 | 100 | 10,410 | 9,243 | +13 |
| Russia | 3,118 | 28 | 3,045 | 2,544 | +20 |
| Belarus | 2,448 | 22 | 1,962 | 2,011 | +2 |
Data source: Trade Data Monitor
Russia has also said it will allow imports of some 200,000 mt of beef and 100,000 mt of pork from Brazil tariff-free for six months, according to the report, citing Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry.