OREANDA-NEWS. Belaruskali plans to export more than 900,000 tonnes of potash fertilizer per month in May and June, Valery Kiriyenko, Belaruskali's CEO, told a news conference in the Belarusian city of Soligorsk.

“We set an all-time record: in March we produced more than one million tonnes and exported 977,000 tonnes. In April the figures were just as high. We expect the same figures in May and June,” Kiriyenko said.

Belaruskali is now working on its sales strategy for July, “which is totally different from the former times, when all exports were channelled through the joint trader - ZAO Belarusian Potash Company. Back then the Russian managers would let us know the sales plan for the next month on the 20th on the current month,” Kiriyenko said.

He supposes there will be a slight decline in potash exports in H2, but the year 2014 will be successful both for producers and manufacturers.

After the divorce with Uralkali, Belaruskali changed its strategy of potash supplies on the domestic market to increase exports. Valery Kiriyenko noted that in 2013 Belaruskali traded through the Belarus-Russia joint venture and sold a lion's share of its products on the domestic market, while over the fourth months this year the company sold 300,000 tonnes.

This year Belaruskali plans to sell on the home market 1.5 million tonnes of potash and export as much as 7.2 million tonnes. Belaruskali expects its net profit to reach Br4 trillion (USD 398m) in 2014.

Belaruskali manufactured 3.376 million tonnes of potash fertilizers in Jan-Mar 2014, up 17.8% year on year; exported 3.61 million tonnes (up 41.1%). The company's net profit grew 4.1 times in Jan-Apr 2014 to Br2.2 trillion (USD 218.9m).

The state-owned Belarusian company OAO Belaruskali is one of the world's largest manufacturers of potash fertilizers, employing about 18,495 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.