As anticipated, the Russian government has extended the quotas for the export of nitrogen fertilizers and complex fertilizers, with the restrictions to be in effect between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2022, Interfax reported on June 1, citing the government press service.
Moscow’s plans to extend the fertilizer export quotas to at least December of this year were reported last month and in late April (GM May 20, p. 31; April 29, p. 32), but have now been formalized under a new resolution just signed.
The quotas introduced on Dec. 1, 2021, on exports of nitrogen and complex fertilizers (GM Nov. 5, 2021) expired on May 31, so in June producers will be able to export these fertilizer products without limits.
The new quotas, to run between July 1 and Dec. 31, are slightly more than 8.3 million mt for nitrogen fertilizers and 5.95 million mt for complex fertilizers, according to the report.
According to Interfax, the amounts of the quotas for the second half of 2022 were calculated based on a schedule agreed to with the Agriculture Ministry. They will include 1.86 million mt for ammonium nitrate, 5.1 million mt for urea, 1.36 million mt for UAN, 3.55 million mt for NPK, 1.8 million mt for MAP, and 584,500 mt for ammonium phosphate sulfate.
Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry will distribute the quotas among exporters by June 20.
The Russian government is understood to have cancelled export quotas for a number of fertilizers, including ammonium nitrate (AN) and ammonium phosphate (DAP and MAP), according to Interfax. It is unclear from the media reports coming out Russia whether this is just for the month of June or for the rest of 2022, but trading sources consider it is just for June.
The lifting of export quotas for fertilizers such as AN and compound fertilizers such as NPKs in June follows the completion of Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture’s plan for purchases of nitrogen fertilizers for domestic spring field work. Interfax cited an unnamed agribusiness sector source as confirming the Agriculture Ministry’s nitrogen fertilizers purchase plan for domestic farmers for spring field work as “having been carried out in full.”
According to the report, the new purchasing campaign for phosphate fertilizers – which will be needed in the fall – will enter its active phase immediately after harvesting, that is, not before the second half of July.