Russian company sends shipment of fertiliser to Nigeria as gift

Russian fertiliser maker Uralchem-Uralkali Group says it has sent a humanitarian shipment of over 34,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Nigeria.

The shipment of fertiliser is the fifth such delivery to Africa, Uralchem-Uralkali said on Thursday, adding that it intends to cumulatively transfer about 300,000 tonnes of mineral fertilisers to developing countries.

The shipment of potash fertilizer took off from the port of Ventspils, Latvia, and is now en route to Nigeria, it said.

“The delivery is again facilitated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which chartered a bulk carrier to transport the fertiliser as part of UNCTAD-led efforts. As with the previous joint shipments, Uralchem Group covered the sea freight and other delivery costs,” the company said.

“Free of charge”

The company said since late 2022, it has dispatched, free of charge, over 134,000 tonnes of fertilisers to the world’s second most populous continent. Over 111,000 tonnes from this amount were shipped in cooperation with WFP from European ports and warehouses — to Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and now to Nigeria.

“Fertilisers are the key element in ensuring food security on both national and global levels. Roughly half of the world’s population relies on food produced with the use of fertilisers,” Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of Uralchem JSC said.

“Nigeria, which is the most populated country in Africa, has been facing significant issues with its agricultural output, which has put at risk a large number of people, mostly in rural areas. As a company aiming to make sure that every person on this planet has access to food, we are grateful for the opportunity to help Nigerian farmers increase crop yields and mitigate food shortages.”