Sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russian and Belarusian fertilizer producers are significantly disrupting global supply chains and exacerbating the food crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Dr. Tafadzwa Ruzive, an expert in international economics and finance.
Dr. Ruzive, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Free State in South Africa, argued that the EU's actions are effectively holding Africa hostage in a geopolitical standoff with Russia. He also said that EU tariffs on fertilizers from Russia and Belarus have had a cascading effect.
"I think for every 1% decline in the capacity to supply fertilizer, generally, Africa will have a 0.6% reduction in the amount of fertilizer that it gets. I would put the estimate between a 40-60% reduction in fertilizer in sub-Saharan Africa," he told Sputnik Africa.
This shortage has dramatically driven up fertilizer prices in the region. With prices increasing by approximately 85% in 2022, the cost of food has subsequently surged by 53%.
This price hike has had a devastating impact on agricultural productivity and food security, leading to a reduction in both fertilizer usage and cultivated land.
"So we end up in a place where we have less land, less acreage that is found, and that reduced acreage actually has got less fertilizer applied to it," the expert explained.
Dr. Ruzive warned that the damage to sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector is long-term. The region's heavy reliance on imported fertilizers makes it acutely vulnerable to such disruptions:
"Agricultural value chain in Africa is an ecosystem. So since COVID-19 and there have been disruptions in the supply of key inputs into agriculture."
While the UN has acknowledged the urgent need to restore Russian fertilizer exports, the EU remains resistant to lifting or modifying the sanctions. Dr. Ruzive slammed this stance, arguing that the EU is using Africa as a pawn in its political maneuvering with Russia, unfairly punishing the continent for a conflict in which it has no direct involvement.