First Shipment Of Belarusian Potash To Arrive In US In October
Reform.news Editorial Team · 23 September 2026, 10:30
https://reform.news/en/first-shipment-of-belarusian-potash-to-arrive-in-us-in-october/The first shipment of Belarusian potash fertilizers in four years is due to arrive at the port of New Orleans in October. The shipment consists of 30,000 tonnes of potassium chloride, or MOP — the most common type of potash fertilizer. The upcoming delivery was reported by industry agency Argus Media.
The shipment will provide the first physical confirmation that commercial trade in Belarusian potash with the US has resumed following the lifting of US restrictions. Aliaksandr Lukashenka said on September 11 that Belarus had already begun selling potash fertilizers to American buyers.
“If you want potash fertilizers from us (if you want to buy them) — please. We cannot do it immediately. We have freed up some of it. We contracted it for this year, we will consider next year. Now there is an opportunity to load a vessel (we will definitely finish loading tomorrow) — take it.
But return the money you owe us. Our $43–44 million is stuck in Citibank — the company that cooperated with us paid the money. It is stuck in wealthy America. Please return this money to us,” he said, speaking to journalists at the Obuz-Liasnouski training ground.
Before sanctions were imposed, Gavilon was one of the main US recipients of Belarusian Potash Company products in Louisiana. In 2022, Gavilon Fertilizer changed its name to MacroSource.
The US imposed sanctions on Belarusian Potash Company in August 2021. Later, Belarusian Potash Company and other entities linked to the industry were also subjected to restrictions. After the end of the wind-down period, US companies were prohibited from conducting transactions with them.
In December 2025, Washington announced its intention to lift restrictions on Belarus’s potash sector following the release of 123 prisoners.
In March 2026, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed Belarusian Potash Company, Belarusian Potash Company and a number of other enterprises from its sanctions list. At the same time, restrictions on several Belarusian financial institutions were eased.
US authorities separately explained that the lifting of sanctions did not mean the automatic unfreezing of assets and funds frozen while the restrictions were in effect. Their return may require separate OFAC decisions.
On September 21, US President Donald Trump said that Washington was working on a “major deal” to purchase potash from Belarus. According to him, Belarusian products should be “significantly cheaper” than the fertilizers the US buys from Canada.
Canada supplies the overwhelming majority of US potash imports. Therefore, the 30,000-tonne shipment will primarily have symbolic significance: it confirms the return of the Belarusian producer to the US market, but by itself cannot significantly alter the balance of supplies.