EU launches anti-dumping investigation into fertilizer imports from Russia

The EU has launched an investigation into urea imports from Russia in response to complaints from European fertilizer producers about dumped supplies that are distorting the market price equilibrium, Bloomberg reported.

The industry association Fertilizers Europe said Russian exporters are taking advantage of “artificially low, state-fixed prices for natural gas,” a key raw material for urea production. This, the organization said, allows them to dump and crowd out EU competitors, according to a notice of the anti-dumping investigation.

As the publication notes, Russia remains one of the largest suppliers of urea to the EU, especially after a reduction in Russian gas supplies forced many European fertilizer plants to stop working. Such dependence raises concerns that Moscow could cut supplies, raise prices or deliberately flood the market with large volumes, harming farmers in the bloc.

The investigation will cover imports from July 2024 to June this year. If dumping is confirmed, this could lead to the imposition of duties.

As a reminder, in June the EU Council adopted new duties on imports from Russia and Belarus to reduce dependence on their agricultural products. Fertilizers and 15% of agricultural exports will be subject to restrictions.

Tags: Russia, EU, fertilizers, restrictions