Uralchem urges balanced fertilizer use to combat land degradation at UN desertification conference

Uralchem Group presented its report, “Mineral Nutrition Management as a Preventive Measure Against Land Degradation,” at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The August 26 session on food security, sustainable agriculture, and water resources brought together representatives of international organizations, governments, and businesses from more than 190 countries.

Uralchem said around 40% of the world’s land is classified as dryland and argued that the proper use of mineral fertilizers, combined with other agronomic measures, can help maintain crop productivity and reduce the risk of further soil degradation. Olga Poltavskaya, Uralchem’s marketing director, said preserving soil fertility should be treated as a food-security priority, particularly in regions exposed to desertification. She cited Mongolia as an example, saying roughly 77% of the country’s land is affected by desertification.

The company said its approach to supporting farmers involves assessing soil conditions, developing crop-specific nutrition plans and adapting agronomic practices to local conditions. Uralchem argued that preventing the loss of soil fertility is more cost-effective than restoring degraded land after productivity has declined. The group, whose assets include Uralchem, Uralkali and TogliattiAzot, said its combined production capacity is around 25 million metric tons and that it employs more than 38,000 people.