In the midst of the war between Russia and Ukraine, which threatens the supply of a large part of the fertilizers imported by Brazil, the federal government will launch a national plan this month to expand the production of the input in the country. The information is from the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina. 
Fertilizers, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are widely used by the Brazilian agricultural sector, but 80% of them are imported, and Russia and Belarus are two of the main suppliers of the product to Brazil. At the moment, however, as a result of the economic sanctions applied against Russians and Belarusians, because of the invasion of Ukraine, Brazil has not been able to bring fertilizers from these countries.
“In the past, Brazil did not have a national program for its own production of fertilizers. We made the wrong choice, back then, of importing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,” said the minister during the live weekly of President Jair Bolsonaro on social networks. In the case of phosphorus, considered one of the most important fertilizers, external dependence reaches 93%.
According to the minister, a ceremony for the delivery of the plan will be held at the end of March, at Palácio do Planalto. Despite coinciding with a crisis in the supply of the product, the plan had been in the works for a long time.
“This plan is ready, it wasn’t because of this crisis. products, from several countries”, said the minister during the live with Bolsonaro.
A working group was formed almost a year ago and involved representatives from nine ministries.
According to Teresa Cristina, the plan will provide a diagnosis of the supply of fertilizers in Brazil and may result, for example, in legislative proposals to facilitate the production of fertilizers in the country, such as environmental licensing rules for the exploration of deposits and even permission for extraction. of minerals on indigenous lands.
Yesterday (2), during a press conference, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the fertilizer stock for agribusiness in Brazil is guaranteed until October. She assured that there are no problems with the crop at the moment, however, the summer crop, at the end of September and October, is still a cause for concern.
