The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged countries that hold Russian mineral fertilizers in violation of export rules to redirect those supplies to humanitarian needs. The message appeared on the official site of Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
The ministry recalled that last year Moscow attempted to move 262 thousand tons of mineral fertilizers blocked at ports in Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Since then, only two shipments have reached recipients: a delivery to Malawi on March 6 and another to Kenya on May 31. Other promised deliveries to Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka have progressed slowly.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow expects nations still in possession of blocked fertilizers to undertake all necessary steps to ensure timely delivery of humanitarian aid to the most impoverished countries in the near term.
Statistics show that in the first half of 2023 Russia exported fertilizers worth at least 6.6 billion dollars.
A report by the Bild newspaper quoted officials noting that Russian fertilizers have saturated the German market, while production costs rose by about 150 percent due to Germany ending its reliance on Russian gas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also commented on the ongoing lack of progress in the grain agreement, calling for renewed momentum in negotiations to support global food security.