Sri Lanka receives vital Russian fertilizer donation

Russian fertilizer giant Uralchem has delivered a humanitarian consignment of 55,000 metric tons of potash to Sri Lanka. The shipment arrived this week and an official ceremony to mark the delivery was held on Friday in Colombo.

According to the group, the shipment is part of a Russian initiative to support developing nations, mainly in the Global South, amid food shortages and global supply chain disruptions that are most affecting poorer nations. A total of 262,000 metric tons of Russian fertilizers was blocked in 2022 at ports in Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, and the Netherlands as a result of Western sanctions imposed against Moscow. In response, Russia offered the commodity free of charge to nations in need, particularly in Africa and South Asia.

The latest delivery of fertilizers marks Uralchem’s sixth free shipment. Since late 2022, the group has donated around 190,000 tons of fertilizers to developing countries, while covering the shipping and delivery costs. In partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), over 166,000 tons of essential fertilizers have been shipped from European ports to Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and now Sri Lanka.

According to an Uralchem statement, inspections confirmed that the fertilizers remained in good condition despite extended storage on ships, making them suitable for improving crop farming in Sri Lanka.

“Mineral fertilizers play a crucial role in ensuring healthy plant growth, supporting higher yields and thus safeguarding stable food supply,” said Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of Uralchem. In an earlier statement, Konyaev emphasized that Sri Lanka has recently suffered one of the worst economic crises in decades, which affected the nation’s agricultural output and put “vast swaths of the population at risk of food insecurity.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Sri Lankan Agriculture Minister Lal Kantha noted the significance of the donation in aiding the country’s farmers during a critical time. Over 30,000 metric tons will be allocated to paddy farmers, while the remainder will be distributed to coconut cultivators, he said, according to local media.