Belarus will retaliate against Lithuania if it is unable to ship fertilizers

Belarus decided to retaliate against Lithuania after state-owned Lithuanian Railways announced that it would no longer transport Belarusian potash to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda. This is the only way for Belarusian goods to reach the rest.

Lithuania, a member-state of the European Union, enacted the blockade as part of the economic sanctions that the United States and the EU have imposed on Belarus. Through the port of Klaipeda, almost 13 million tons of potassium produced by state-owned company Belaruskali, one of the largest producers of the input in the world, leave each year.

Beginning next Monday, President Aleksandr Lukashenko will ban petroleum products, as well as chemical and mineral fertilizers destined for Lithuania, from passing through Belarus’ railways. According to the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approximately 1.5 million tons of these cargoes, worth more than $1 billion, pass through Belarusian territory each year. Cargo primarily departs from Ukraine.

“The direct losses inflicted at the Klaipeda port, Lithuanian railways, and other players will last for a long time, though it is clear that they will amount to hundreds of millions of euros,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website.

The Belarusian government claims that “multi-million losses” are also expected based on lawsuits that the government has brought against Lithuania.

Also, according to Belarus, the country is adopting the necessary logistical solutions to redirect cargo flows to ports in “reliable and partner” countries.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, access:

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2022/02/03/sem-poder-embarcar-fertilizantes-belarus-vai-retaliar-a-lituania.ghtml

Sharing is caring!