Mali deepens ties with Russia to secure fertilizer supplies amid rising global prices – Milling Middle East & Africa Magazine

MALI – Mali is actively working to secure and expand its fertilizer imports from Russia as global agricultural input markets face mounting pressure from geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions, placing food-import-dependent nations like Bamako in an increasingly vulnerable position.

Mali and Russia are discussing mechanisms to secure fertilizer supplies for future farming seasons. 

Trade data shows that Russia has already become one of Mali’s leading fertilizer suppliers, in 2023, Mali imported nearly 310,000 tons of nitrogen fertilizers, with Russia accounting for 27% of those imports, making it the country’s second-largest supplier behind Finland and ahead of the United States and Morocco.

The talks are unfolding against a volatile global backdrop. The World Bank has warned that global fertilizer prices could rise by more than 30% in 2026 because of the conflict in the Middle East and disruptions affecting maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz. 

Nearly one-third of global seaborne fertilizer trade, about 16 million tons annually, passes through the strategic waterway. 

Urea, the world’s most widely used nitrogen fertilizer, remains particularly exposed, with its average price estimated to reach US$675 per ton this year, nearly 60% higher than in 2025. 

China compounded the problem by imposing restrictions on urea exports in October 2025, later extended through August 2026, to protect its domestic market. Egypt also introduced a temporary $90-per-ton tax on nitrogen fertilizer exports as part of efforts to limit excessive export flows. Together, these measures illustrate a broader reshaping of global fertilizer markets, where national food security concerns increasingly outweigh the free flow of international trade. 

China compounded the problem by imposing restrictions on urea exports in October 2025, later extended through August 2026, to protect its domestic market. 

Egypt also introduced a temporary US$90-per-ton tax on nitrogen fertilizer exports as part of efforts to limit excessive export flows. 

Together, these measures illustrate a broader reshaping of global fertilizer markets, where national food security concerns increasingly outweigh the free flow of international trade. 

The fertilizer discussions are part of a broader diplomatic push between Bamako and Moscow. 

During the second Russian-Malian intergovernmental commission held on the sidelines of the recent Kazan Forum, Malian Economy and Finance Minister Alousséni Sanou expressed his country’s interest in joint projects with Russia covering railways, fertilizers, and river transport. 

Three memorandums of cooperation were signed following the Kazan commission, covering transport infrastructure, a potential KamAZ vehicle assembly plant in Mali, and cooperation between Mali and the Republic of Tatarstan in the oil and agricultural sectors. 

Analysts warn that Russia stands to benefit strategically from the current supply disruptions, not just commercially. 

Moscow has previously used agricultural exports as diplomatic leverage in Africa, and fertilizers are seen as even more convenient than grain for this purpose, attracting less Western scrutiny while being critical to food production. 

According to the International Fertilizer Development Center, Mali’s apparent fertilizer consumption averaged nearly 516,000 tons annually between 2019 and 2023, underlining just how critical securing reliable supply chains is for the landlocked Sahel nation’s agricultural sector.

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