Russia donates 23,000 tonnes of fertilizer to Zimbabwe

Russia has supplied over 23,000 tonnes of fertilizer and 25,000 tonnes of wheat to Zimbabwe free of charge, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday. Russia’s top diplomat in Harare, Nikolai Krasilnikov, said at the hand-over ceremony that the donation will help to promote Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development, RIA wrote.

The fertilizer consignment, which consisted of potash and NPKS, was provided by Uralchem Group, with the United Nations World Food Programme facilitating the delivery. The Russian chemical manufacturer said it has now sent five humanitarian shipments to African states, with the aim of supporting farming and easing food shortages on the continent.

Uralchem – which has now given 134,000 tonnes of mineral fertilizer to Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe – intends to donate a total of 300,000 tonnes of fertilizer to countries at risk of famine. Much of the fertilizer that Uralchem is giving away has been stuck at European ports as a result of the EU’s decision in March 2022 to impose sanctions on the company’s then-majority shareholder, Dmitry Mazepin.