Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/south-american-nations-push-exclude-fertilizer-russia-sanctions-2022-03-10/
Nations in South America are proposing the exclusion of fertilizer from sanctions on Russia. This proposal is supported by Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and was initiated by Brazil. The proposal will be submitted to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. Brazil being one of the world’s top food producers argues that crop nutrients, like food, should not be targeted by sanctions. More than one-fifth of its imports, totaling 9 million tonnes in 2021, comes from Russia. Brazil representatives will travel to Canada to get increased imports of potash from Nutrien, the world’s largest global producer of Potash.
Despite the importance of keeping agriculture production high, I believe that keeping as many sanctions on Russia as possible is crucial at this moment. It is important that the rest of the world works together to meet each other’s needs without having to drop sanctions on Russia. As soon as we drop some sanctions, like with potash, it would be easy to become lenient with other sanctions, such as oil and gas. If oil and gas sanctions became more lenient, that would drastically improve Russia’s economy again, and would show that we are allowing Russia’s actions with no consequences.
This situation shows the complex interdependence between countries, and serves as a wake up call that we can not always be dependent on other countries. It is important to be self sufficient and have multiple countries to rely on in case a conflict like this happens. Maintaining Food supply and ensuring that there is no food inflation is extremely important as hunger is a big issue. Hopefully Canada, and other countries that have potash will work with Brazil and other South American countries to provide potash so that we can keep all sanctions on Russia. Making sure Brazil has fertilizer is crucial because Brazil’s economy relies on agriculture, and other countries rely on Brazil for many food products.