Since the imposition of sanctions against Russia, EU countries have rapidly reduced imports of Russian fertilizers: by 20.5% in 2022, and by another 8.2% next year. As a result, purchases in 2023 were the lowest in 11 years - only 3.9 million tonnes.
However, there was a sharp reversal in EU purchases - fertilizer imports from Russia jumped by a quarter at a time, almost completely reversing the decline of the previous two years. In total, 4.93 million tonnes were imported during the year, compared to 5.37 million tonnes in 2021.
At the same time, not only did the volume of purchases increase, but also the share of Russian fertilizers in local imports. If in 2022 and 2023 it fluctuated near 23.5%, in 2024 it rose to 27.4%.
The main reason why EU countries abandoned their policy of reducing imports of fertilizers from Russia is the high price of gas for local producers.
Such constant imports against the background of declining production may be associated with a decrease in the number of farms in the EU: according to the latest data, the number of farms in the EU in 2020 amounted to 9.1 million against 10.5 million in 2016. At the same time, agricultural output fell for the second year in a row by 2024.