Why the EU’s potash sanctions are looming over supermarket prices (Politico)

Politico (USA) wrote in an article that the EU has just dealt a shock to its supply of potash, a crucial ingredient for growing enough food — risking a strain on the global food chain in service of its campaign to isolate Belarus over its involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While the penalties aim to dry up one of the country’s most vital sources of income, the EU’s move to cut off one of the world’s top suppliers of potash — a key ingredient for agricultural fertilizers — will ripple far beyond the Continent, increasing the likelihood that, around the world, food will just keep getting pricier, hitting harvests outside the bloc the hardest. Senior research fellow David Laborde said Russia and Belarus “are a critical supplier of potash not only for Europe but also for Africa, the Middle East, India and even Brazil imports a significant share of their potash from this part of the world. The next harvest can really be reduced in several places.”