NHK published an article on how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is wreaking havoc on the global fertilizer industry. Farmers are being squeezed and one expert says governments must step in to prevent what could become the worst food crisis since World War II. Communications and Public Affairs Division Director, Charlotte Hebebrand, spoke on several aspects of fertilizer prices including what the current state of fertilizer looks like. She stated that the Russian invasion exacerbated an already bad situation. “The invasion of Ukraine followed what had already been a long process of increasing fertilizer prices,” she says. “So, it was an added factor that hit the market.” She explained, “The fact is that a combination of sanctions and export restrictions imposed on and by Russia and Belarus, basically have taken all the fertilizers that are usually traded from those countries off the market. Countries which had high import dependence on Russian and Belarusian fertilizer have been hit badly, and that has simply shrunk the availability of fertilizers.” What is different from the past is that it comes at a time when the pandemic is devastating global economies, with countries spending tremendous amounts to recover. Hebebrand added, “”Perhaps there will be opportunities to exempt fertilizers from those sanctions. We understand the political intentions behind those sanctions, but the reality is they have very negative impacts on other countries – that is something that needs to be looked at.” Governments must break free of this reliance and find long-term solutions. One possible answer is to ramp up domestic production.
Hebebrand realizes that the clock is ticking fast. She said, “High fertilizer prices risk turning the food security concerns of today into a longer-term problem,” she says. “If fertilizer is unaffordable for the next planting season, you have the prospect of decreased production or yields in the future that will risk exacerbating the high food prices.” (See the IFPRI blog post, High fertilizer prices contribute to rising global food security concerns).