Yara International’s Post

A breakthrough: The European Commission has announced tariffs to reduce imports of Russian fertilizers. Finally.   Russia’s invasion has led to devastating losses and suffering for the Ukrainian people. Both Ukraine and Russia are food superpowers, and the war has had a huge impact on an already vulnerable food system.   Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of the input factors needed to produce fertilizers, including gas. Gas imports from Russia have been drastically reduced, but Russian fertilizers, made from gas, are flowing into Europe at record levels. Urea imports from Russia to EU27 increased by 48 percent in the 23/24 season compared to the average of the five seasons before the war. In many ways you can say that fertilizers are the new gas.   And why should we be worried about that? Half the food produced in the world, is produced thanks to mineral fertilizers. They are vital for plant growth. Without a level playing field, we can become more dependent on Russia for food and fertilizers. That is how important this is.   I am pleased to finally see that the European Commission is taking measures to protect European fertilizer production, and Europe’s strategic autonomy in food and fertilizers. But unfortunately, it is too little, too late. The tariffs are too low, and the phase-in period only kicks the can further down the road as it will only start impacting the agricultural season from 2026 and even 2027. In parallel, the dependency on Russia will continue to increase, indirectly funding their war efforts.   We thank the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers for proposing measures, but we urge them to increase the ambition level. Anything less would be a significant missed opportunity.