Moscow – PhosAgro Group, one of the world’s largest phosphate-based fertilizer producers, increased its supplies of mineral fertilizers to African countries by a third in 2024. The Company’s total fertilizer exports to Africa in 2024 exceeded 730 thousand tonnes, a 33% increase from 2023 (548 thousand tonnes). The top five African importers of PhosAgro’s agrochemical products included South Africa, where shipments increased by 10%; Mozambique, by 80%; Morocco, by around 450%; Cameroon, by 60%; and Ethiopia, which made a large purchase of fertilizers from PhosAgro for the first time in eight years.
Mikhail Sterkin, PhosAgro’s Deputy CEO for Sales and Marketing, said: “PhosAgro is the largest Russian supplier of fertilizers to African countries. According to expert estimates, we account for 40% of total exports of all types of Russian mineral fertilizers [to the continent]. As a company whose products make up around 7% of African countries’ total fertilizer imports, we play an important role in bolstering the continent’s food security and food sovereignty.
“According to UN statistics, 40% of the land in Africa suffers from degradation due to cadmium contamination from fertilizers that contain heavy metal impurities. Our mineral fertilizers are free of cadmium and other toxic substances that are harmful to human health and soils, and they are exceptionally environmentally friendly. Safe fertilizers are the key to healthy soils and safe agricultural products. We intend to continue actively developing our collaboration with our African partners.”
The Company is also taking active measures to protect Africa’s soil resources. PhosAgro was an official partner for the launch of the African Soil Laboratory Network (AFRILAB) as part of a global soil protection initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). AFRILAB currently has 220 laboratories across 54 countries, assessing the quality and safety of fertilizers and monitoring soil conditions.
In addition, PhosAgro and the FAO launched the Global Soil Doctors programme, which includes the production of soil testing kits that enable farmers in developing countries – in African countries in particular – to independently assess the condition of their fields and to determine the nutrients necessary for the soil to maximise yields, to grow environmentally friendly crops and, as a result, to make an important contribution to the fight against hunger.
In February 2024, PhosAgro and the FAO signed an additional agreement to finance the third phase of their global soil protection initiative. The joint project aims to strengthen the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN), which currently encompasses 160 countries and includes over 1,000 laboratories. To date, more than 11,000 farmers from 20 developing countries have already taken part in the project, with around 5,000 more farmers set to receive training during the project’s third phase.
In the latest phase of their partnership, PhosAgro has joined the FAO’s initiative to recarbonize global agricultural soils (RECSOIL), the main goal of which is to manage and sequester soil organic carbon, an important step in the fight against climate change.
PhosAgro also partners with UNESCO to award annual grants for research on environmental protection as part of the Green Chemistry for Life programme. Over eight rounds of the programme, 55 young scientists from all around the world have received grants, with African scientists occupying a special place in the programme. Throughout the programme’s history, the international jury has awarded more than a quarter of the grants to talented African scientists from South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, over 200 young African scientists have taken part in the PhosAgro–IUPAC Summer Schools on Green Chemistry.
During the second Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, PhosAgro launched Pro Agro Lectorium, a digital educational platform for African farmers. The platform provides online lectures on a variety of topics: sustainable agriculture, the basics of plant nutrition, and the proper use of mineral fertilizers for achieving food security and for producing crops with qualities consumers are looking for. The lecturers include experts from PhosAgro; leading scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy and other agricultural universities; as well as top executives from major agricultural companies from around the world.
During the Forum, PhosAgro also signed cooperation agreements with leading African and Russian universities to promote agricultural education. These partnerships are aimed at implementing scientific, educational and research projects in the field of sustainable agriculture, including the promotion of digital educational technologies across Africa. PhosAgro is currently collaborating with the University of Zambia, Makerere University (Uganda), Ahmed Baba University (Mali), Assiut University (Egypt) and Injibara University (Ethiopia).