By Roberto Samora

SAO PAULO (Reuters – Six South American states are proposing to exclude fertilizer from Russia sanctions, a significant world producer whose invasion by Ukraine disrupted supply, Brazil’s Agriculture minister Tereza Christina Dias stated Thursday.

According to her, Brazil had secured support from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Paraguay, and Brazil for a proposal that excludes fertilizer products. This will be presented to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Brazil is an agricultural powerhouse and the largest importer of fertilizers in the world. Brazil argues that sanctions should not target crop nutrients as food.

Brazil depends on imports to obtain 85% its fertilizer needs. Russia is responsible for more than half of Brazil’s imports. In 2021 it was 9 million tonnes.

Dias will be speaking to Qu Dongyu (FAO Director General). Dias noted that food inflation could result from a dearth of fertilizers and threaten food security.

She hopes to gain enough support from FAO in order to convince other U.N. member countries to endorse the proposal.

Dias recently stated that “global food inflation is something that should concern all countries.”

The United States had sanctioned Belarus as a major producer of fertilizers. This was even before the conflict in Ukraine.

Dias, along with representatives of Brazilian companies, will fly next week from Brazil to Canada in support of Brazil’s attempts to secure supplies. Nutrien Based in New York City is the largest worldwide potash producer (NYSE:).

Brazil is primarily supplied by Russia with NPK fertilizer mix of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. However, Canada supplies the majority of Brazil’s potash needed to increase crop yields.

Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, visited Moscow just days before Ukraine invaded to talk about Russian fertilizer supplies as well as sales of Brazilian beef.