First Belarusian potash shipment in four years heads for New Orleans

A cargo of 30,000 tonnes of Belarusian potash loaded in Russia on September 15 is due in New Orleans on October 14, the first such shipment to the US since sanctions were imposed in 2021.

Why it matters: The cargo tests a US sanctions thaw tied to prisoner releases in Belarus, and gives Washington leverage in its fertilizer trade fight with Canada, which supplies almost 80 percent of US potash imports.

The Belarusian Potash Company loaded 30,000 tonnes of granular potash at Russia’s Bronka port near St Petersburg on September 15, with ship-tracking data showing arrival at New Orleans expected on October 14. It is the first Belarusian potash to reach the US in four years, after Washington sanctioned the sector in 2021 over Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Washington began easing the sanctions in December as part of an arrangement tied to the release of political prisoners. Between 2017 and 2021, Belarus exported an average of 635,000 tonnes of potash a year to the US, according to Argus data. President Trump said on September 21 that the US was working on a “massive” fertilizer purchase deal with Belarus at prices “substantially less” than what it pays Canada, which currently supplies almost 80 percent of US fertilizer imports.

Analysts are skeptical the Belarusian volumes will move prices. StoneX fertilizer analyst Josh Linville said he doubts the shipments will play a major role in US supply or lower what farmers pay.

First Belarusian potash shipment in four years heads for New Orleans

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