The fertilizer crisis is pushing for increased mining in the Amazon

The consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could go as far as the rainforest as Brazil sees global disruptions to the supply of fertilizers as a reason to increase mining in the Amazon.

Inadequate domestic supply of agricultural nutrients has been a thorn in Brazil’s side for decades, given that the farming superpower importing roughly 80% of its requirements.

The Ukrainian conflict has made it difficult for Brazilian farmers to obtain fertilizers, exacerbating their desire to extract potassium from Amazon. Some of these reserves, though, are located on indigenous land.

President Jair Bolsonaro expressed support for increasing domestic production of potassium-based nutrients to bring economic development through mining in the Amazon.

Several industry groups seconded the support as the increasingly drastic global turmoil exposed the fragility of the supply chain. The debate pits the need to feed the world against preserving the planet’s most biodiverse region.

“The Russia-Ukraine war raises the risk of potash scarcity or, at the very least, an increase in the price of the product,” Jair Bolsonaro said on Twitter. “Our food security and Agribusiness demand that we take measures to reduce our external dependency of something that we abundantly possess.”

Bolsonaro has asked lawmakers to pass a contentious bill allowing mining in indigenous territories. Indigenous groups have criticized his remarks, claiming that the government’s proposal jeopardizes community health and rights.

Environmentalists have criticized a recent government decree supporting artisanal mining claiming that it encourages illegal activities that endanger tropical forests.

According to a study conducted by the Geological Service of Brazil (CPRM), a public company, the potential for producing potash in the Amazon Basin region is comparable to that of the Urais region in Russia and Saskatchewan in Canada.

Deposits belonging to Petrobras and Potássio do Brasil, a company controlled by Canadian Forbes & Manhattan, total 3.2 billion tonnes of resources. Other analyzed areas can double this volume.

“We cannot abandon the exploration of potash in the Amazon,” said the director of CPRM, Marcio Remedio. “It is strategic in terms of economic growth, inflation (control), and food security.”

Potássio do Brasil and two other phosphate extraction projects were deemed qualified by the government to develop strategically accelerated mining projects.

Now, mining companies represented by the Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram) are urging the government to form a working group that includes Potássio do Brasil to expedite its potash project in Autazes, Amazonas, as Black Sea tensions raise the risk of fertilizer shortages. Farmers agree as well.

“These times make us discuss the need to extract potassium in Brazil. We have large reserves, but unfortunately, they are on indigenous lands,” said Bartolomeu Braz Pereira, president of Aprosoja, an association that represents soy products. “We cannot depend on other nations for fertilizer supplies.”

Source: Money Times

To read the full original article, please see:

https://www.moneytimes.com.br/potassio-bacia-amazonica-tem-potencial-de-producao-igual-a-russia-e-canada/

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