Russia’s Uralchem to donate fertilser to Zimbabwe, Nigeria

By Agencies

Russia’s leading fertiliser producer Uralchem-Uralkali group has announced it will donate more humanitarian consignments to Zimbabwe, Nigeria.

Making the announcement during second Russia- Africa summit held in St Petersburg in July, Uralchem CEO Dmitry Konyaev said Africa has enormous potential in terms of agricultural development and growth in fertiliser consumption.

“About 20 kg of fertilisers are applied per hectare in the Sub-Saharan African countries, but in the foreseeable future this figure may rise to 100-150 kg, which could radically solve the problem of food shortages on the continent,” he said.

Konyaev said the Uralchem group is ready to contribute to the development of the continent’s agricultural sector, including through the creation of joint ventures for distribution in local markets and the transfer of modern technologies.

“Together with African governments, we can build a new large market for fertiliser consumption and solve the problem of hunger in Africa once and for all,” he added.

The Uralchem- Uralkali group had 2022 sent more than 34,000 tonnes to Kenya, which is being reformulated to produce over 100,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

While receiving the consignment in March, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi reiterated the government’s commitment to subsidising the cost of production for farmers.

He said that subsidized fertilizer will soon retail at Sh3,500 per 50kg bag.

“This is a great step towards addressing the cost of production to our farmers. The Kenya Kwanza government is committed to lowering production costs,” Linturi said.

“We are committed as a government to ensure that a bag of fertilizer will cost not more than Sh3,500.”

The donation comprised Potash, Urea, and NPK.

“This donation will also go a long way in supporting our subsidy program. From this consignment, we expect to blend it to produce an additional 60,000 metric tons of different types of fertilizers,” Linturi added.