Fertilizer Price Increases for Farmers to Require Government Commission Approval

Reform.news Editorial Team · 20 October 2026, 07:20

https://reform.news/en/fertilizer-price-increases-for-farmers-to-require-government-commission-approval/

The Belarusian Council of Ministers has established a procedure for approving price increases for fertilizers produced by three major Belarusian manufacturers for the domestic market. The procedure is set out in Resolution No. 525 of October 16, published on October 20 on the National Legal Internet Portal.

The document covers nitrogen fertilizers produced by Grodno Azot, phosphate fertilizers produced by the Gomel Chemical Plant, and potash fertilizers produced by Belaruskali.

Increases in producer prices subject to state regulation, as well as increases in such prices set by the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, must be approved by the Commission on State Price Regulation under the Council of Ministers.

The procedure applies to supplies to legal entities and their separate subdivisions whose primary activities are crop and livestock farming, as well as organizations providing services to agriculture. It also covers fertilizers supplied to the Gomel Chemical Plant for the production of compound nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Requests from the Belneftekhim concern and Belaruskali will serve as the basis for reviewing proposed price increases. The government commission will coordinate its decisions with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade.

Earlier, the government reported plans to change the financing of mineral fertilizer purchases for agriculture. According to Agriculture and Food Minister Yury Horlau, starting in 2028, half the cost would be covered by the consolidated budget and the other half by agricultural organizations. Budget funds would be transferred to manufacturers only after farms had paid their share. The scheme remains a proposal.

Horlau explained that the changes were needed because additional funding sources had to be sought during the year to finance fertilizer purchases. He also said that Aliaksandr Lukashenka had instructed officials to monitor mineral fertilizer pricing and proposed that the issue be considered by a commission under the Council of Ministers. The adopted resolution formalizes this approval mechanism for price increases.