Russia’s Agriculture Ministry said Tuesday that it is banning the export of ammonium nitrate for one month ahead of the spring planting season, as authorities move to secure domestic fertilizer supplies.
“Suspending shipments of nitrogen fertilizers abroad amid rising export demand will allow us to prioritize the domestic market during spring field work and ensure its uninterrupted progress,” the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
Ammonium nitrate is widely used in agriculture and can also serve as a component in explosives.
Russia produces a quarter of the world’s ammonium nitrate. The export halt comes amid a global supply crunch following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 24% of the world’s ammonia, an ingredient of ammonium nitrate, passes.
The Agriculture Ministry said it stopped issuing new export licenses, with exceptions only for supplies under government contracts.
Major Russian producers of ammonium nitrate include Uralchem Group, PhosAgro, Acron and EuroChem.
A drone strike last month hit Acron’s Dorogobuzh plant in the Smolensk region, killing at least seven people and halting operations there until at least May. The facility reportedly accounts for about 11% of Russia’s ammonium nitrate output.
Another major producer, KuybyshevAzot, has also come under repeated drone attacks in the Samara region this month.
Russia has capped exports of nitrogen and compound fertilizers since December 2021, with the current restrictions in place through May 31, 2026.
The ammonium nitrate export quota is set at 2.6 million metric tons for the period from December 2025 through May 2026.
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