13 july 2015

Our planet could potentially provide food for many more people than it does. According to the latest data from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN), we are not successful in this provision: some 800 million people suffer from poor nutrition.

Our planet could potentially provide food for many more people than it does. According to the latest data from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN), we are not successful in this provision: some 800 million people suffer from poor nutrition.

In this high-tech era, we should not accept this. It is an issue that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.

Food producers in developing countries are affected most. Outdated agricultural machines, economic problems, lack of knowledge... the result is that farmers cannot sustain their own food needs. Crop yields in developing countries are 10 times lower than in Europe.

Another acute problem is the uneven distribution of food supplies. Some 75 per cent of people affected by malnutrition live in rural areas in developing countries. For them, agriculture is the only means of survival.

There are a number of aspects to consider when looking at food security: economic problems, self-sufficiency of national food systems and so on. In global terms, it is about the physical availability of food, the stability of its production and the mitigation of negative factors such as climate and adverse weather.

The role of mineral fertilisers is critical; farmers not only secure yields, but fertilisers provide soil nutrition and prevent soil depletion. If we didn’t use mineral fertilisers, we wouldn’t harvest half of the yield we currently do.

Some 75 per cent of people affected by malnutrition live in rural areas in developing countries

Supplying potash to developing countries allows an increase in yields; it helps to bridge the gap between prosperous nations and those that depend heavily on agriculture. Some 80 per cent of the Belarusian Potash Company’s products are exported to developing countries.

Potash is an irreplaceable nutrient in nature; it is actively absorbed by plants. Only 0.1-3 per cent of potassium present in soil is readily available to plants, so potassium needs to be applied in the form of potash fertilisers.

Potash aids photosynthesis, helping plants to accumulate mass, increase proteins, fat and carbohydrates. It boosts yields, develops plant roots, increases the winter hardiness of crops and makes plants more resistant to lodging (the collapse of top-heavy plants).

Importantly, potash helps plants retain water: plants that are well supplied with potash are more resistant to drought.

But potash also works its magic in environments where drought is not a problem. Not even floods will remove all the potash from soil; what remains helps both plants and soil recover.

Potash makes plants more resistant to diseases and pests. It is also a quality element: it increases proteins, sugars in sugarcane, and starch in potatoes, grains and herbage. This and other properties improve the taste of food crops.

It’s important for the Belarusian Potash Company not just to deliver to its partners what they want but to do so in the quickest and most convenient way.

Thanks to a railcar fleet, a 30,000 ton potash shipment – enough to meet the agricultural demand of a country such as Greece for a whole year – can reach the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania in less than two days.

The company always selects the most efficient logistical routes and can load both huge, 80,000-ton marine vessels and very small cargoes.

Thus it is attentive to the needs of those clients ( including small farmers) who can’t afford large ship cargoes, offering them a solution in the form of container shipments. Last year, 1.1 million tons of potash were shipped in containers to 61 countries.