Farmers call for urgent opening of lime-ammonium nitrate imports: fertilizer shortage threatens to result in loss of up to 20% of harvest

The All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, together with the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, appealed to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine with an appeal to urgently allow the import of calcium ammonium nitrate through sea ports. The reason was the sharp aggravation of the situation with providing farmers with nitrogen fertilizers on the eve of the spring sowing.

Industry associations recall that after Russia's attacks on port infrastructure, a ban was introduced on the transshipment, storage and transportation of a number of cargoes, in particular ammonium and calcium ammonium nitrate.

At the same time, agricultural associations emphasize: the inclusion of VAS in the list of explosive cargoes has no scientific justification.

"No explanations were provided on the basis of which documents or studies the conclusion was made that calcium ammonium nitrate is explosive," the appeal states.

According to the associations, international and national standards determine the opposite.

“According to the UN Model Regulations, lime-ammonium nitrate belongs to the UN 2071 group — non-explosive cargoes. Grades A and B with a mass fraction of nitrogen of not more than 28% are non-combustible, fire- and explosion-proof substances,” the associations emphasize.

Due to the current ban and the simultaneous decline in domestic production, the market has already faced a shortage. As of February 2026, the shortage of nitrate is estimated at 100–170 thousand tons. Ammonium nitrate production in Ukraine has almost halved — from 1.99 million tons in 2024–2025 to 1.016 million tons in the 2025–2026 season due to attacks on infrastructure and power outages.

VAR and UCAB warn: the consequences can be systemic for the entire economy.

“The reduction in the total harvest due to nitrogen deficiency can reach 20%,” the document emphasizes.

At the same time, on approximately half of the soils, ammonium nitrate can be replaced with lime-ammonia, but currently farmers are actually deprived of access to it.

The associations state that they support security measures in wartime conditions, but propose to introduce controlled imports with clear safety parameters.

In particular, this concerns the permission to import through Danube ports with a safety passport for products with an ammonium nitrate content of up to 80% (mass fraction of nitrogen - up to 27.52%), and through Black Sea ports - up to 70% (mass fraction of nitrogen - up to 24.08%).

“We hope for further fruitful cooperation for the development of domestic agribusiness,” the authors of the appeal note.

An operational decision is critically important before the spring sowing season, because not only the harvest, but also the stability of agricultural exports and food security of Ukraine depend on the availability of nitrogen fertilizers.