Moscow – Two of the world’s leading producers of phosphate-based fertilizers, Russia’s PhosAgro and Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden, discussed prospects for cooperation on key issues related to the sustainable development of the mineral fertilizer industry and on meeting the needs of the agriculture industry for high-quality phosphate-based fertilizers with low levels of potentially-harmful heavy metals, and their efficient use.
The meeting between the heads of the two companies, Andrey Guryev and Darren Davis, took place within the framework of the first Russian business mission this year, organised in Saudi Arabia by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. A landmark memorandum of cooperation between PhosAgro and Ma’aden was signed in October 2017 during a state visit to Russia by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
While welcoming the Russian mission, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid Al-Falih, noted that Russia and Saudi Arabia were forming stronger ties, especially in the areas of energy and technology, fertilizers and scientific research.
PhosAgro and Ma’aden are systemically important parts of the global fertilizer industry and key players in ensuring domestic and global food security. PhosAgro recently became the first Russian company in the history of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to be selected for a global soil protection intiative. The programme to support the Global Soils Doctors Programme and the enhancement of national soil laboratories through the Global Soil Laboratory Network will help farmers make more efficient decisions for sustainable land management (specifically in the area of soil fertility).
Both PhosAgro and Ma’aden recently completed large investment projects that saw the construction of production facilities using best available technologies.
The phosphate-based fertilizers produced by both companies meet the most stringent requirements for the cultivation of environmentally friendly agricultural products.
Discussions held at the meeting touched on the exchange of best practices, technologies and innovative solutions, including the scientific developments of Russia’s only research institute that deals with fertilizers and agrochemicals, the Research Institute for Insectofungicides and Mineral Fertilizers (NIUIF), a subsidiary of PhosAgro.
Following the meeting, the leaders of the two companies noted that cooperation would make it possible to improve the sustainability of both their own business development and the entire global food security system.
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