President Donald Trump announced on Monday, September 21, that the United States is negotiating a deal to import potash from Belarus. The initiative is framed as a strategy to lower fertilizer costs for American farmers and ranchers by securing supplies at prices lower than those currently provided by Canadian producers, who have historically dominated the U.S. market.
According to the Benin Web TV, the move follows the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) decision on March 26 to remove the state-owned producer Belaruskali from its list of specially designated entities. While the broader U.S. sanctions program against Belarus remains in effect, this specific regulatory change has reopened a path for trade.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) notes that American agriculture is heavily dependent on imports, with a 93% net import dependence for potash in 2024. Between 2020 and 2023, Canada supplied 79% of these imports. Belarus, the world’s fourth-largest producer, exported 6.43 million tons in K2O equivalent in 2024. While Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko confirmed on September 11 that sales to the U.S. have resumed, neither Washington nor Minsk has disclosed specific delivery volumes, contract pricing, or timelines.
Market analysts suggest the impact on overall supply chains may be limited. Josh Linville, vice president of StoneX, told Reuters that the U.S. potash market currently maintains sufficient volume, indicating that the move is more focused on price competition than resolving a supply shortage.