Russian fertilizer exports to Africa expected to be at least on par with 2022 level in 2023 - head of industry association

ST. PETERSBURG. July 27 (Interfax) - Russia will export at least as much fertilizer to Africa in 2023 as it did last year, the head of the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association (RFPA), Andrei Guryev said.

"I think it will certainly be at least the level of last year. The price situation that exists today for all types of mineral fertilizers gives countries in Africa and our other counterparties the ability to increase purchases of mineral fertilizers," Guryev said.

Russia exported 1.6 million tonnes of mineral fertilizer to Africa in 2022, which amounted to 12% of the continent's total fertilizer imports, he said.

"Within this corridor, of course, Russia can increase its share of the market regardless of the growth of actual demand on the part of Africa [...] We understand that as producers we are in a very competitive environment," Guryev said.

The main problems for exports to Africa are low purchasing power, the lack of port and other logistics infrastructure, and the need to train farmers, he said.

"These problems will be solved. This is certainly not a question of a year or two or three, but the dynamic is already evident, growth of consumption in the region is constant," Guryev said.

"I think that the first real thing that will be done is the creation of large mineral fertilizer hubs, provision of logistics, port infrastructure, not only at entry but also at exit, so that it's possible to ship out grain and thus provide foreign currency to African producing countries. Then this whole business will get going far faster and more dynamically and we will see genuinely powerful growth of agriculture in African countries," Guryev said.

Russia has doubled fertilizer exports to Africa in the past five years, he said.