The United Nations said Tuesday that 260,000 metric tons of fertilizer manufactured by Russia and stored in European ports and warehouses had been distributed to farmers in Africa.
In Africa, where it is planting season, this would help ease humanitarian needs and avert catastrophic crop loss, said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric addressed reporters in response to the news.
He said that on Tuesday, a ship hired by the World Food Program sailed from the Netherlands with 20,000 tons of fertilizer bound for Malawi, a country in southeast Africa.
Dujarric estimated that it would take around a month to go from Beira, Mozambique, to Malawi, a landlocked nation, overland.
It will be the first of several fertilizer shipments to be made in the upcoming months that are intended for several other nations on the African continent, Dujarric noted.
fertilizer shortage
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, global fertilizer costs, which were already high owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, have increased even more. Part of this increase can be attributed to Moscow’s imposition of export limitations on fertilizer, claiming that it needed enough for its own farmers.
According to the U.N., fertilizer costs have increased startlingly by 250% since before the outbreak in 2019.
The leading exporter of fertilizer worldwide is Russia.
Because of the interruptions, shortages, and price rises brought on by its quotas, several smaller farmers are no longer able to buy fertilizer.
This may significantly reduce their yields, which might result in food shortages the next year.
According to the chief economist of the World Food Program, both industrialized and developing nations rely on fertilizer for 50% of their food production.
Given everything that is going on, Arif Husain stated that there will be a scarcity of around 66 million tons of staple crops due to a lack of or inability to pay fertilizer.
“Crops like wheat, corn, and rice come to mind.
Now, with those 66 million tons of food, 3.6 billion people could be fed for a month.
Russian exports of fertilizer have decreased, and the country has stated that this is due to Western sanctions.
But Western countries emphasize again and time again that they do not forbid the import of Russian food or fertilizer.
However, several banks, insurers, shippers, and other businesses that carry or buy Russian grain and fertilizer have been hesitant to do business with Moscow for fear of breaking the sanctions.
Diplomacy is ongoing.
More than 12 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain can now be exported from three of the country’s Black Sea ports thanks to a package deal signed on July 22 in Istanbul. The agreement also aims to increase private sector confidence so that Russian fertilizer and grain exports can resume to their pre-invasion levels.
In order to maintain the unhindered shipments of vital foods and fertilizers from the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which are free from sanction regimes, to global markets, the U.N. is continuing its rigorous diplomatic efforts with all parties, Dujarric told reporters.
On November 17, the agreement, referred to as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was extended for a further four months.
