Rusal has started supplying potassium sulfate to Russian farmers
The Achinsk Alumina Combine annually produces 36,000 tons of potassium sulfate as a by-product, previously this fertilizer was fully exported.
Achinsk alumina Plant. Illustrative photo: "Rosprirodnadzor".
To bring potassium sulfate to the domestic market, it required a complicated procedure for its registration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia and the construction of a special packaging line. The Achinsk Plant's products replace Western European suppliers that have left the Russian market, and the PotashSol brand has been specially registered for them.
The largest Russian fertilizer producers do not produce potassium sulfate, the needs of the Russian market for this valuable fertilizer were previously covered by imports from Western European countries, said Yakov Itskov, director of RUSAL's alumina division.
"In 2022, the established supply chains were disrupted, so RUSAL decided to reorient the products of the Achinsk Potassium Combine to the domestic market. AGC is our only alumina refinery that processes nepheline ore and has the entire technological chain necessary for the production of potassium sulfate."To enter the Russian market, it was necessary to register fertilizers with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation. This procedure and the development of application standards took more than two years, said Vitaly Prigarin, Managing Director of AGC.
"For the convenience of retail consumers, AGK has invested in a specialized packaging line for potassium sulfate in 25 kg bags. It is important that we used Russian-designed equipment for the construction of the line; previously, domestic suppliers had not participated in such projects."The most common potash fertilizer in Russia and the world, potassium chloride, is undesirable to use in greenhouses and in risky farming regions (Lower Volga region, southern Siberia), since chlorine does not wash out of the soil or soil, accumulates and leads to a decrease in soil fertility. Chlorine-free potassium sulfate is widely used in greenhouses, as well as in regions such as Khakassia and Kemerovo region, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions.