Minister argues that fertilizers, like food, should not be sanctioned

In a meeting with United States representatives and members of other American countries’ governments, Minister Tereza Cristina argued, on Wednesday, March 16, that fertilizers should be excluded from the list of sanctions, as is the case with food.

According to her, putting a bar on the trade of these inputs affects rural productivity, reduces food availability, reinforces inflation among main commodities, and, finally, threatens food security, especially in the most vulnerable countries.

“We must find ways to prevent that measures taken by a group of countries to punish specific actions at the international arena affect global food production chains. We cannot create an even bigger problem while trying to solve another one. According to FAO estimates, the hunger problem is getting worse, affecting 800 million people worldwide,” highlighted the minister who also presides over the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA).

The subject will be brought forward at the United Nations through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The minister proposed other alternatives to coordinate actions to mitigate the negative impacts of the current input prices crises, especially in the case of fertilizers. Tereza Cristina proposed boosting the interchange of information on global agricultural markets and intensifying scientific research to pursue technological advances that can improve agricultural efficiency and sustainability, expanding, for example, G-20’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) to include data on fertilizers. If successfully applied, these measures would significantly advance market transparency and stability.

At the meeting on the 16th, FAO director-general Qu Dongyu commented that hunger and food insecurity are now stronger than ever because of the pandemic, thus proving the necessity of guaranteeing the sustainability of food systems by facing trade restrictions together. “We are concerned about food prices. Challenges will persist and agrifood systems must ensure their resilience,” he said.

The United Nations Special Envoy to the Food Systems Summit, Agnes Kalibata, also stressed the need for joint initiatives. “Given the very complex situation we are currently in, unstable fertilizer prices will affect many people, especially if Ukraine persists in this situation. There are many good initiatives out there, which is why I am here to establish alliances between the IICA and other initiatives so that we can develop solutions and share information,” she said.

Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America, commented on the rise in fertilizer prices and advocated efforts to increase fertilizer production through innovation, technology, and sustainability.

“The Russian invasion is accelerating the rise in prices not only for agricultural commodities but also for energy and metals, which impacts food security in less developed countries. So, we must do what we can to stimulate bigger plans for crops in the coming months. We need transparent markets and price compensation to produce. This is vital for bolstering supplies, sending a message to farmers to plant more, and keeping global trade effective.”

The virtual gathering also addressed food security problems in the context of the challenge of a new global agricultural agenda.

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