Russia to impose no fertilizer export duty

MOSCOW, Feb 20 (PRIME) -- The Russian government does not plan a duty on fertilizer exports, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said in a news conference on Friday.

“This issue is not discussed. It is not discussed by the government,” Dvorkovich said.

On Thursday, Nikolai Pankov, deputy of the State Duma, the parliament’s lower chamber, said that the Federal Antimonopoly Service will on Friday submit a bill on a fertilizer export duty, which, according to Deputy Agriculture Minister Andrei Volkov, will range between 20% and 50%. However, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said the ministry opposes the idea.

The Agriculture and the Industry and Trade Ministries together with the national association of fertilizer producers agreed to freeze fertilizer prices for farmers at the February level until June on Thursday, and under the agreement prices in regions with unfavorable conditions for crops and in regions which suffered from emergencies must be reduced to the January level.

The Agriculture Ministry said earlier that the government agreed with fertilizer producers to sell products at10-30% discounts to the market price to local farmers but said the measure was insufficient to support the local farmers against effects of ruble devaluation.

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