Filenews 28 June 2022
At a time when fears of a global food crisis are looming in the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday assured his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro by phone that Moscow is "committed" to guaranteeing Brazil an "unhindered supply" of fertilizers, absolutely necessary for the strong agri-food sector of Latin America's largest country.
During a public event in Brasilia on Monday, Mr Bolsonaro said he discussed with his counterpart "food security" and "energy insecurity", without going into more detail.
Russia's commitment to Brazil
The Kremlin, for its part, noted in a press release that during the conference Mr. Putin "underlined that Russia is committed to fulfilling its obligations and guaranteeing an unhindered supply of Russian fertilizers to Brazilian farmers."
He also called for the "restoration of the architecture of free trade in food and fertilizers, which has collapsed due to Western sanctions" imposed on Russia over its military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Although it is a global agri-food power, Brazil imports more than 80% of the fertilizers it uses, a figure that rises to 96% in terms of potassium, according to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture.
Over 20% of fertilizers imported into Brazil originate in Russia, its main supplier.
The meeting before the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Latin America's largest economy is seeking to strengthen its supply chains, focusing mainly on Canada, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco. It also tries to revive domestic fertilizer production.
Senator Flaviu Bolsonaro, son of the Brazilian far-right president, recalled on Monday via Twitter that his father met with Vladimir Putin in February, some twenty-four hours before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, "to discuss, among other things, the supply of fertilizers, which are fundamental to our agri-food security."
