France voices concerns over risk of fertilizer price hikes due to sanctions

Loïc Kervran, a member of the French Parliament, has expressed concern over the risk of rising fertilizer prices amid planned restrictive measures against imports of this commodity from Russia. He addressed a letter to the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Annie Genevar.

The MP asks in his parliamentary request to the head of the department about her position on the proposal of the European Commission (EC) to introduce increased tariffs on fertilizers imported from Russia.

"On January 28, 2025, the Commission adopted a proposal to increase customs duties on fertilizers coming from Russia. Today, a significant part of the fertilizer used by French farmers comes from this country, and therefore they will be concerned about the impact of the tax proposed by the Commission," Lenta.Ru quoted the February 12 text as saying.

The MP asked the minister what is the official position of Paris on this proposal, and whether measures are planned to support fertilizer production in France.

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Earlier, on February 7, the EC reported that the European Union (EU) is going to increase duties on Russian fertilizers up to 100%, RT reports.

Thus, at the first stage, calculated until July 1, €40-45 per 1 ton will be added to the current percentage. It is expected that in 2026-2027 the increase will be €60-95, reports NSN.

The increase to 100%, or €315-430, is expected by July 2028. The document notes that the purpose of the increase is to diversify supplies and reduce vulnerability in case of import restrictions by Russia and Belarus.

The European Commission approved duties on a number of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus and some nitrogen fertilizers on January 28. At the same time, exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to third countries will remain unchanged.

The Financial Times reported on February 2 that fertilizer producers in the EU are in favor of imposing higher duties on similar Russian products. The companies complain that their revenues have fallen in recent years amid a sharp rise in costs.

On January 31, the Politico newspaper reported that the U.S. predicted a "triple failure" for the European Union amid the imposition of duties on Russian fertilizers. According to the newspaper, the restrictions could cause costs to rise for European producers and third-country suppliers.

The West has increased sanctions pressure on Russia amid a special operation to protect the population of Donbass. The decision to launch the operation was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid an aggravation of the situation in the region due to Ukrainian shelling.