St Petersburg – PhosAgro Group, one of the world’s largest producers of phosphate-based fertilizers, plans to double its fertilizer exports to Africa in the next three years, according to PhosAgro CEO Mikhail Rybnikov, who was speaking at the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum.
PhosAgro’s CEO emphasised that the Company supplies eco-efficient products that do not contain concentrations of cadmium or other toxic substances that are hazardous to human health or soils to some 100 countries around the world. At the same time, Africa is one of PhosAgro’s priorities for international development:
- PhosAgro is the largest Russian supplier of fertilizers to Africa, accounting for 33% of Russia’s total fertilizer exports to the continent.
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PhosAgro exports fertilizers to 21 African countries; the leading importers are South Africa, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique and Tanzania.
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The Company has increased deliveries to Africa by around 350% over the past five years – from 117.9 thousand tonnes in 2018 to 540.0 thousand tonnes in 2022. Over the past year, PhosAgro has increased its exports to Africa by a quarter.
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In the next three years, the Company expects to double its exports yet again. One of the factors enabling the Company to expand its export potential to Africa will be the launch of a new plant in Volkhov, with a production capacity of a million tonnes, which is located near Baltic ports focused on exporting products to friendly countries.
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PhosAgro’s portfolio includes 57 brands of fertilizers, including 16 brands containing micronutrients. PhosAgro’s extensive product line makes it possible to take into account the specifics of various African regions and to offer customers the best solutions.
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By the end of 2023, the Company plans to develop no fewer than six innovative products as part of the Innagro project in partnership with Innopraktika. Safe biological crop protection agents are innovative products that can help African countries make an important leap in addressing food security.
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To ensure the uptake of innovations in Africa, PhosAgro is helping train local farmers. PhosAgro timed the launch of its Pro Agro Lectorium educational platform to coincide with the Russia–Africa Summit. The platform is an easy-to-use online service designed specifically for African farmers, with educational lectures on sustainable agriculture, the basics of plant nutrition and the correct use of mineral fertilizers.
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In addition, PhosAgro, in partnership with UNESCO, awards grants every year for research on environmental protection as part of the Green Chemistry for Life programme. Over six selection rounds, the programme’s international jury has reviewed over 800 applications and awarded grants to more than 40 young researchers, including 12 talented African scientists. In addition, more than 100 young researchers from Africa have received stipends as part of the Green Chemistry Summer School programme organised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and PhosAgro.
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The Company is also taking active measures to protect Africa’s soil resources. In 2019, PhosAgro became an official partner for the launch of the African Soil Laboratory Network (AFRILAB) as part of a global soil protection initiative, a joint project with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). AFRILAB currently has 143 laboratories in 48 countries that assess the quality and safety of fertilizers and monitor the condition of soils.
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In October 2020, PhosAgro and the FAO launched the Global Soil Doctors programme, which includes the production of soil doctor kits that contain tools that enable farmers in developing countries – in African countries in particular – to assess the condition of their fields and to determine a list of nutrients that need to be applied to the soil to maximise yields, to grow environmentally friendly crops and, as a result, to make an important contribution to the fight against hunger.