{"id":11594,"date":"2023-07-21T14:07:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T11:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/longreads\/potash-industry-hit-by-sanctions-minsk-struggling-to-cut-shipment-costs\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"potash-industry-hit-by-sanctions-minsk-struggling-to-cut-shipment-costs","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11594\/","title":{"rendered":"Potash industry hit by sanctions: Minsk struggling to cut shipment costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n By Via\u010desla\u016d Korascie\u0144, BPN<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n The Belarusian government is still undecided whether to build a terminal, a port or upgrade an existing one for shipping potash fertilizers to customers amid international sanctions.<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Officials have been discussing new routes after Lithuania blocked access to the Port of Klaipeda to punish Minsk for alleged human rights abuses.\n<\/p>\n

\nSnapko\u016d\u2019s optimism <\/h2>\n

\n\t Belarus\u2019 transit of potash fertilizers and petroleum products through Russian ports rose to six million tons in the first half of 2023 from 1.5 million tons in the same period last year, state-controlled media quoted Mikalaj Snapko\u016d, first deputy prime minister, as saying at a government conference on July 18.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He said that Belarus could ship up to 12 million tons of potash per year to its customers. Snapko\u016d said that the Belarusian potash giant, Belaruskali, reported profits this year, but noted that transshipment costs soared two to five times due to the restrictions.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t He said the government will soon unveil its mid-term solution for port infrastructure designed to reduce transshipment costs as much as possible.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Snapko\u016d is expecting Belarus to sell eight million tons of potash fertilizers this year. The country annually exported 10 to 12 million tons before the sanctions were imposed.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka has recently signed an edict to enable Belarusian Potash Company (BPC), the trading arm, to obtain bank loans for making advance payments to Belaruskali, the parent.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cWe can\u2019t let payment delays and complicated and extended logistics to [affect] the producer in any way,\u201d Snapko\u016d said.\n<\/p>\n

Logistical costs, lower prices, payment issues<\/h2>\n

\n\t Belarus\u2019 potash industry has been grappling with high logistical costs associated with sanctions, and more recently with lower prices, Anastasja \u0141uzhina, of the Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center, told The Viewer<\/span>. The potash price fell to $328 in June from around $1,000 one year before.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Portugal and Spain reportedly lobbied for easing the European Union\u2019s potash sanctions in the interests of Brazil, said the Belarus Change Tracker in its May\u2019s report.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The analysts noted \u201cthe lack of agreement among European countries on sanctions concerning Belarusian fertilizers.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t More recently, several sources reported that the EU does not plan to review its restrictive measures.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The news was a major setback for the Belarusian government and the potash industry it controls.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \u201cIf you believe the government, it plans to supply about eight million tons of fertilizers to foreign markets,\u201d \u0141uzhina said. \u201cThe question is whether Russian ports have enough capacity to transship such volumes. This is approximately the level of 2020. That year potash was cheaper, just over $200. But no sanctions were applied, and fertilizers were shipped through neighboring Lithuania. Costs were low, and everything was adjusted and worked well.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Snapko\u016d said that Belarus should work to boost export volumes regardless of low prices.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Last year, the government issued a directive to allow customers to pay for fertilizers in local currencies amid international restrictions on euro and dollar payments.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t However, \u0141uzhina said, the BPC may have problem converting its revenues into hard currencies.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The edict allowing it to obtain bank loans is intended to fix the problem, she added.\n<\/p>\n

Destructive confrontation with West<\/h2>\n

\n\t Minsk removed statistical data on potash sales from public access in response to the EU\u2019s sanctions.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Obviously, the industry is not as profitable as before and its future is uncertain.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t The government has been unable to devise a sensible economic strategy while it engages in destructive confrontation with the West.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t Its proposals revolve around building up the transshipment capacity of Russia\u2019s St. Petersburg and Murmansk ports.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMinsk relies on export revenues to maintain a balanced foreign trade account, finance imports and prop up the rubel, \u0141uzhina said, noting that it simply adapts to circumstances.\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Via\u010desla\u016d Korascie\u0144, BPN The Belarusian government is still undecided whether to build a terminal, a port or upgrade an existing one for shipping potash fertilizers to customers amid international sanctions. Officials have been discussing new routes after Lithuania blocked access to the Port of Klaipeda to punish Minsk for alleged human rights abuses. Snapko\u016d\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-11594","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPotash industry hit by sanctions: Minsk struggling to cut shipment costs | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Via\u010desla\u016d Korascie\u0144, BPN The Belarusian government is still undecided whether to build a terminal, a port or upgrade an existing one for shipping\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/11594\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Potash industry hit by sanctions: Minsk struggling to cut shipment costs | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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