The European Commission has made a proposal to temporarily remove the import tariffs for certain fertilizer raw materials. The EU wants to get rid of the import tariffs on the necessary raw materials to bring down the production costs of fertilizer. The goal is to get a lower price for the farmer.
With certain raw materials for fertilizers, Europe is highly dependent on countries outside the EU. In 2021, the EU imported 2,9 million tons of ammonia and 4,7 million tons of urea for the production of nitrogen fertilizers. Russia and Belarus are very large suppliers in this regard.
Proposal applies to N fertilizers
The proposal to remove import tariffs on raw materials should apply until the end of 2024. This concerns raw materials for nitrogen fertilizers, the fertilizer most used in Europe. In addition, the import tariffs for potash and phosphate raw materials are already considerably lower compared to those for nitrogen. The price of N fertilizers has also increased more in relation to the other 2 fertilizers. For these reasons, the proposal focuses on raw materials for N fertilizers.
The proposal will not only reduce costs for fertilizer producers and farmers, but also contribute to greater stability and diversification of supply through imports from a wider range of countries outside the EU. Russia and Belarus are thereby excluded from the temporary abolition of import tariffs. At the moment there is talk again about the lifting of sanctions between the EU and Russia that hinder the export of fertilizers.