Belarus state-owned potash producer Belaruskali OAO is reported to be considering building a plant to produce potassium sulfate (SOP), according to a report by the country’s state-run news agency BelTA, citing the potash company’s Director General, Ivan Golovaty.
According to the report, Belaruskali has held discussions with “Chinese partners” about the SOP production facilities, and is planning to make a decision next year.
In a separate development, a member of the Belarusian opposition this week has urged the European Union (EU) to keep sanctions in place against Belaruskali, warning that lifting them would generate a $1.5 billion windfall for Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.
Pavel Latushka, who heads an opposition group, the National Anti-Crisis Management, and who is now in exile in Poland, said he fears the EU may decide to lift sanctions against the potash producer.
His appeal comes as EU foreign ministers were meeting on May 22 for informal talks that focused on sanctions against Belaruskali and its marketing/export arm, Belarusian Potash Co. (BPC).
The EU has been proposing new sanctions on Belarus over the country’s continuing crackdown on opposition to the current presidential regime and its support of Moscow’s war in Ukraine. But some Member States, like Spain and Portugal, have called for exemptions on potash amid food security fears, although the exact nature of these exemptions is unclear (GM March 17, p. 29).