The war in Ukraine will disrupt crucial fertiliser imports

The war in Ukraine will disrupt crucial fertiliser imports - Brazil

Brazil has turned to natural fertilisers over concerns that the war in Ukraine will disrupt crucial fertiliser imports, Qazet.az reports according to AFP.

The agricultural superpower is the world’s fourth-biggest consumer of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium based fertilisers and imports 80% of its supply, 25% of which comes from Russia.

From AFP:

That is causing farmers in the South American giant to turn to alternatives, including remineralizers, or “agrominerals” - pulverized, nutrient-rich rocks that are spread on fields before planting.

Brazil, which authorized remineralizers for agricultural use in 2013, is the world leader in the technique, which is also used in the United States, Canada, India and France, among others.

“Brazil is a tropical country, and the rains tend to wash away soil nutrients. Rock powder rebuilds the soil and renews it,” says Marcio Remedio, mineral resources director at the Brazilian Geological Service.

The technique also “allows plants’ roots to develop better and capture the nutrients they need to grow,” says Suzi Huff Theodoro, a geologist at the University of Brasilia.

“We have rocks with the right profile in various parts of the country, and the cost is significantly cheaper” than chemical fertilisers, she told AFP.