World Fertilizer Day: urgent need to replenish nutrients and reduce import dependence
Cubierto por 3 fuentesPublicado
- bichos del campoEn el Día Mundial de los Fertilizantes, una advertencia repetida: Hay que producir más con menos tierra, pero la reposición de nutrientes sigue quedando corta
- agencia infraFertilizantes: Indústria alerta para gasto de R$ 1,4 tri com importação
- jornal portuarioIndústria de fertilizantes alerta para dependência de importações e cobra fortalecimento da produção nacional
Every October 13, World Fertilizer Day is celebrated, a date that commemorates Fritz Haber's 1908 discovery for synthesizing ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen. On this year's observance, the agricultural sector stressed the need to increase food production efficiently and sustainably, making better use of available arable land in the face of population growth and urbanization pressures.
Half of all food depends on nutrients
According to the civil association Fertilizar, no less than 50% of global food production depends on fertilizers, which include nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, zinc and boron. The organization pointed out that while in the 1960s one hectare of farmland fed 2 people, today that same area must supply around 5 people, and the United Nations projects a one-third increase in world population by 2050.
Brazil, the world's largest importer
Meanwhile, in Brazil, the National Union of the Fertilizer Raw Materials Industry (Sinprifert) released an Open Letter to Brazil warning that the country has accumulated R$1.4 trillion in spending on fertilizer imports over the past 30 years. The union noted that during that period external dependence rose from 55% to 90%, making Brazil the world's largest fertilizer importer: for every ten tons of nutrients applied to the soil, nine come from abroad.
NPK dependence and effects of the war in Iran
Sinprifert's document detailed that Brazil needs to import 97% of its nitrogen and potassium, as well as 74% of its phosphorus, the three main nutrients known as NPK. The union also linked the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a consequence of the war against Iran, to the doubling of sulfur prices -a raw material for phosphate fertilizers-, which led to the shutdown of production units in the country. Despite this context, Brazilian agricultural output grew: the grain harvest rose from 123 million to 350 million tons between 2002 and 2025, according to Conab data, while planted area increased from 43.9 million to 81.7 million hectares and fertilizer deliveries rose from 19 million to 49 million tons, according to Anda.
Call to strengthen domestic production
The Open Letter to Brazil, presented on October 13 in reference to World Fertilizer Day, argued that the country must reduce its dependence on imported inputs and expand its domestic production capacity to protect agribusiness and food security. Sinprifert considered that the current scenario, with around 90% of the fertilizers used in the country coming from abroad, constitutes a strategic risk, since the costs and availability of these inputs remain subject to international crises and factors beyond Brazil's control.
