Brazil, India and the United States (US) have emerged as the biggest buyers of Russian fertilizers in 2023, an analysis of data by the United Nations (UN) Comtrade platform done by Sputnik has shown.
While Brazil ($1.9 billion) and India ($1.3 billion) accounted for almost half of Russian fertilizer exports, the US imported around $890 million worth of Russian fertilizers.
China ($632 million) and Mexico ($429 million) have emerged as other big importers of Russian fertilizers this year, according to estimates.
Turkiye, Kazakhstan and European Union (EU) nations such as Germany, France and Poland have been the other major buyers of Russian fertilizers this year, the UN data shows.
Special ‘carveouts’ have been put in place since last year to exempt Russian fertilizer exports from the western sanctions in the wake of Moscow’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine.
In July, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative over the failure of the collective west to allow Russian food and fertilizer exports to reach the global markets, which was a key precondition for the implementation of the UN-brokered deal.
Moscow’s fertilizer supplies remain critical for global food supply chains, with food experts warning that shortage of Russian fertilizers could worsen the global hunger crisis this year.
Mineral fertilizer market
Russian Fertilizer Exports to India
As reported by Sputnik India in August, Russian fertilizer exports to India have grown by almost 140 percent to $1.3 billion in the January-July period this year, as compared to the corresponding period previous year.
In fact, calculations by Sputnik have shown that Russian fertilizer exports to India have surged by nearly 900 percent between 2021 and the first quarter of 2023.