Russia plans to increase fertilizer supplies to Ghana
Russia is considering increasing its fertilizer exports to Ghana, Dmitry Mazepin, an official of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), has stated. The West African nation has experienced a decline in agricultural output in recent years, contributing to a global cocoa bean shortage.
The chairman of the RSPP commission on fertilizer production told Rossiya-24 in an interview published on Monday that Russia has extensive interests in Africa, with Ghana being strategically important for various reasons, including its agricultural sector.
'I flew to Ghana for the first time at the invitation of the country's leader. We hope that we will understand under what conditions we can expand our presence,' Mazepin stated.
He said last year alone, the African country imported about 100,000 tons of Russian fertilizers.
According to Observatory of Economic Complexity data, Ghana imported $27.8 million worth of nitrogenous fertilizers from Russia in 2023.
'We want to increase these figures, so I flew in to see what opportunities we have,' the former CEO of Russian fertilizer giant Uralchem said.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who took office in January, has pledged to ensure food security by increasing local production under the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda. On February 14, the country's agriculture minister told lawmakers that the government is determined to boost crop yield and secure Ghana's position as the world's second largest cocoa producer.
Russia is one of the world's leading fertilizer producers. However, Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in connection with the Ukraine conflict have affected deliveries, which plunged 15% year-on-year in 2022. A total of 262,000 tons of Russian fertilizers had been blocked at ports in Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Moscow offered to give the commodity for free to countries in need, including Africa, in order to strengthen the continent's food security.
Since late 2022, Uralchem has supplied more than 134,000 tons of fertilizers to African nations free of charge. Over 111,000 tons have been shipped from European ports and warehouses to Malawi, Nigeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe in collaboration with the UN World Food Program.
In November, Russian fertilizer producer PhosAgro reported a 41% surge in exports to Africa for the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same period of the previous year.
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