OREANDA-NEWS. September 6, 2012. Belarus exported 1.994 million tonnes of potash fertilizer (in terms of 100% potassium chloride) in January-June 2012, down 18.3% on the year, the National Statistics Committee told reporters.

Potash fertilizer exports to the CIS states reduced 14.8% to 63,700 tonnes, other foreign states – down 18.4% to 1.931 million tonnes.

The average price of Belarusian potash fertilizer in Jan-Jun 2012 stood at USD 742.4 per tonne to compare with USD 670.6 per tonnes in Jan-Jun 2011.

It is a global trend that potash fertilizer exports should go down to match the waning demand for that product, especially in India, which is a major consumer of Belarusian potassium chloride, a market expert said in an interview. Furthermore, in the next five years India plans to reduce government subsidies for the purchase of potash fertilizers by 50%.

Belarus has not yet made new contracts with India. The latest contract was made in August 2011 and was effective till March 2011, with 1.2 million tonnes supplied at USD 490 per tonne.

The Belarusian Potash Company (BPC) plans to resume negotiating new contracts with India and China any time soon, BPC press officer Filipp Gritskov told reporters.

The latest contract with China was made in March 2011 and was effective till June 2012, with 500,000 tonnes supplied at USD 470 per tonne.

Belaruskali exported around 7.7 million tonnes of potash fertilizer (in terms of 100% potassium chloride) in 2011, the average price being USD 713 per tonne (up 34% on the year).

Belaruskali’s revenues reached 17.455 trillion rubles in 2011 (USD 2.155 billion, up 160% on year), pre-tax profit 317.814 billion rubles (USD 1.121 billion, up 4.9 times).

The state-owned Belarusian company OJSC Belaruskali is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of potash fertilizers, employing about 18,440 personnel. It operates the Starobinskoye potash salts deposit and comprises four mine groups, auxiliary shops and support units.

Belaruskali controls 16% of the world’s potash fertilizer market.