The EU is concerned about the mass import of fertilizers from Russia and Belarus

Fertilizers from Russia and Belarus entering the EU are hitting European producers.

Domestic companies feel this most painfully and are hoping for government intervention, reports «Puls Biznesu». 

Thus, Poland became the leader among the EU countries in terms of the volume of nitrogen fertilizers imported from Russia. In the period from January to August 2024, imports amounted to 862,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizers, which is more than 26% of all fertilizer imports from Russia to all EU countries.

According to Tomasz Zelinski, president of the Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry (PIPC), the reason for the increase in imports is price dumping, in particular, by Russian and Belarusian companies.

The position of Polish and European companies that produce fertilizers is also complicated by the fact that most of them are experiencing a decrease in competitiveness in the global context.

In particular, the problems of Polish producers are further exacerbated by higher than average production costs, primarily related to high gas prices.

The publication emphasized that in order to improve the situation, it is necessary to increase customs duties on mineral fertilizers from Russia and Belarus to 30%. Polish producers also demand the extension of sanctions to the ban on the import of mineral fertilizers produced in Russia and Belarus, as well as the introduction of control and supervision mechanisms for fertilizers entering the country and their distribution among Polish farmers.

As previously reported by USM, the EU countries propose to increase the duty on products and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus.