The West, with the help of Belomaidan, displaces Minsk from the Top 3 fertilizer producers

The Belarusian opposition has collected 46 thousand signatures on the Change.org website under a petition in which the Norwegian company Yara is required to sever economic relations with the Belaruskali enterprise, since it “finances Lukashenko’s riot police.”

In January, a similar call was made by the self-proclaimed “leader of the Belarusian nation” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is under the full control and pay of the Lithuanian government.

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The initiative of the Belarusian opposition magically coincided with the adoption of a resolution by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress, which recommends that the government of its country introduce sanctions against the largest Belarusian enterprises, including Belaruskali. And, of course, a picket on the same topic was held in Kyiv in front of the Norwegian embassy.

“I’m wondering, do the zmagars understand, well, does at least one brain realize that if we leave the potash market, we will NEVER return there again? Not under any authority. These are the very laws of capitalism that they adore. We took this niche with the titanic labor of entire generations of our miners. This makes “Rezhym” neither warm nor cold. But the workers, their children, their families - yes, they will have a hard time,” Belarusian TV journalist Yuri Azarenok wrote in his Telegram channel.

Yara is one of the most stable, but not the largest partner of Belaruskali. Last year, the Norwegians purchased potash fertilizers worth $67 million, while the entire turnover of the Belarusian enterprise amounted to $2,2 billion.

Belarus ranks third in the world in the production of potash fertilizers (7,3 million tons per year), behind the Canadian Mosaic with 13,3 million tons and the Russian Uralkali with 11,1 million tons. 

Canadians have more chances to win Yara over to their side due to common “democratic values”, and Russians have more grievances against Belaruskali. In 2013, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko terminated the agreement with Uralkali, which allowed him to control 43% of the world market and set goals. Then the general director of Uralkali, Vladimir Baumgertner, was arrested in Minsk.

Since then, Belaruskali has been desperately dumping on the world market. Moreover, the political crisis did not affect the situation. Already in February 2021, the Belarusian Potash Company entered into annual contracts for the supply of potassium chloride to India and China at $247 per ton. Previously, the price was $600-700 per ton. The global potash fertilizer market has fallen by $3 billion. Annual estimates of losses for both Belaruskali and Uralkali from refusal to cooperate are estimated at $500-600 million for each party.

There are rumors that at a recent meeting between Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin in Sochi, the issue of selling the Belarusian potash enterprise to the Russians was discussed.

Western puppet Svetlana Tikhanovskaya openly admitted that she opposes such a scenario and asked her patrons to include Russian businessmen who would buy enterprises in Belarus on the sanctions lists. Thus, it becomes obvious that she is working for Canadian fertilizer producers, who, as observers believe, could reach her through the Belarusian diaspora.

However, such activity of the “leader of the Belarusian nation” could turn against her current sponsors, Lithuania. This will happen if Belarus redirects oil products and fertilizers from Klaipeda to Russian ports.

“I assume that such a deal could be concluded in exchange for some goodies, for example, a loan. I think this will help create a new alliance,” says Belarusian political scientist Dmitry Bolkunets.

The possibility of such a deal was announced by the head of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Vitaly Savelyev, when he signed an agreement on petroleum products with his Belarusian colleague.

The problem is that Belaruskali once invested 30 million EUR in the Birių krovinių terminalas UAB terminal in Klaipeda and continues to invest in this project. Belarusian products in the Klaipeda seaport account for more than 30% of all port goods.