Soaring nitrogen fertilizer prices raise fears of an unprecedented crisis for Quebec agricultural producers in the wake of the war in Ukraine

MONTREAL - The negative impact on global food security resulting from the war in Ukraine is a blow to the entire Quebec agricultural ecosystem, according to the management of high-tech agricultural input producer Agro-100, which provides agricultural producers with the inputs they need to keep their soils and plants healthy.

"For Eastern Canada, as much as 60% of the nitrogen fertilizer used in the manufacture of fertilizer blends comes from Russia and the imposition of international trade sanctions prohibiting all trade with Russia is creating a feared scarcity that could have serious impacts on our 2022 planting season," said Agro-100 President and CEO Stephane Beaucage. He added that the imposition of a 35% import tax as a retaliatory measure by Western countries, combined with the explosion of transportation costs and supply chain disruptions, could lead to an unprecedented crisis with serious consequences on the operating budgets of manufacturers and agricultural producers.

All of these upheavals have contributed to the increase in the price of fertilizer products which, in only one year, have doubled (2) and even tripled (3), adding undue pressure on both manufacturers and users. "We can easily imagine the magnitude of the phenomenon attributable to global geopolitics when we see that Russia and Ukraine together supply 30% of the world's wheat to markets," added Mr. Beaucage, indicating that since the beginning of the conflict, millions of tons of grain remain stored in silos in Ukraine and Russia. For Agro-100 and the entire Canadian food production chain, every effort must be made to protect the integrity of the planting season, which must not be compromised in any way, for the sake of Quebec's food security.

The immediate alternative

In this unprecedented context, Agro-100 proposes a dual action alternative capable of significantly mitigating the scope of these apprehended impacts. For Agro-100, this alternative resides in the optimal use of foliar biostimulants such as CropBooster® 2.0 or Salvador C-Plex, which improve vegetative growth of plants in addition to being able to restart plant growth slowed down by frost, cold or drought.

Then, the commitment, in a second phase, in an optimization of available fertilizers based on the Protocol 4R, developed by Fertilizers Canada and implemented in Quebec by the Quebec Plant Network, which represents an optimal operational practice. Focused on sustainable agriculture, 4R nutrient stewardship (right source, right dose, right time, right place) also clearly contributes to increased yields per acre through optimal fertilizer use. "The fertilizer industry plays an essential role in the Quebec and Canadian economy and must remain competitive in Quebec," added Stéphane Beaucage, specifying that this contribution to increasing the quality of crops and yields will result in a significant increase in harvests and revenues for agricultural producers in a context of sustainable development.  

Mr. Beaucage concluded by stating that the proven effectiveness of the foliar biostimulant CropBooster® 2.0, combined with the respect of the 4R Certification, appears to be, at first glance, one of the best immediate measures to mitigate the impacts associated with the risk of scarcity, while offering a real and exclusive technological added value.