Export shipments of fertilizers via the Russian Railways network in May increased by 37% against April, to 2.6 million tons, a source familiar with the state monopoly’s data told Interfax.

Among the largest fertilizer producers, Uralkali and Uralkhim, which last month showed a sharp decline in shipments abroad, increased exports the most – several times over. TogliattiAzot, controlled by the UralChem group, saw its exports drop by 7.5% in May.

“PhosAgro increased export shipments via the Russian Railroad network by 22.5% last month, while EuroChem increased export shipments by 10%.

Akron’s total exports increased by 37%, while shipments of apatite concentrate abroad fell sharply. In March and April, the company supplied this type of raw material to Belgium, where Prayon, one of its main European consumers, has its facilities, while in May there were no shipments in this direction.

The main export destinations for EuroChem, Uralkali and Akron in May were Brazil and China. A number of producers continued to ship products to Europe and the US.

In the first five months of 2022, fertilizer exports from Russia fell 24% year-on-year to 12.5 million tonnes. Exports via ports fell by 5% to 8.6 million tons, while exports via border crossings dropped by almost 48% to 3.9 million tons.