Russian mineral fertilizer production fell 11% in 2022, to 23.5 million mt of active ingredient, Interfax reported, citing the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat).
The overall year-over-year production decrease was due to a 32% fall in potassium chloride output, to 7.3 million mt of active ingredient.
In gross weight terms, potash output fell by 35%, according to the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RFFP). The drop was due to a reduction in exports due to sanctions and low demand among Russian farmers.
In contrast, phosphate fertilizer production rose 1%, to 4.4 million mt of active ingredient, and nitrogen fertilizer production was up 3.5% on the year, to 11.8 million mt.
In December alone, Russian fertilizer production fell 10% year-over-year to 2.1 million mt of active ingredient, but was nearly 14% higher than in November 2022, according to the report, citing Rosstat.