A vessel has been loaded with more than 34,000 metric tons of potash at the port of Ventspils, Latvia, and it is currently heading to Nigeria, the press service of Uralchem Group said on Thursday.
Uralchem Group, one of the largest fertilizer producers in Russia and the world, stated that it was donating around 300,000 metric tons of mineral fertilizers to developing countries. The initiative aims to alleviate the global food crisis and prevent crop losses in countries at risk of famine.
According to the company’s website, Uralchem is responding to the second sustainable development goal of the UN: To end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has again helped to facilitate the delivery, having chartered a bulk carrier to transport the fertilizer in support of efforts led by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Uralchem Group took care of the sea freight and other delivery costs, just like it has done with previous joint shipments.
“Fertilizers are the key element in ensuring food security at both the national and global level. Roughly half of the world’s population relies on food produced with the use of fertilizers. Nigeria, which is the most-populated country in Africa, has been facing significant issues with its agricultural output, which has put a large number of people at risk, 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,” Uralchem CEO Dmitry Konyaev announced.
Nigeria is the fifth African country where the firm has donated fertilizers as part of its humanitarian efforts. Uralchem Group has sent over 134,000 metric tons of fertilizers to the continent free of charge. In collaboration with the WFP, over 111,000 tons of this amount have been shipped from European ports and warehouses to Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and now Nigeria.
On December 11, the company stated that a vessel at an EU port was fully loaded with over 23,000 metric tons of bulk potash and NPKS fertilizer for delivery to Zimbabwe.