Ukraine war pushes Brazil toward natural fertilisers

Fearing Russia's invasion of Ukraine will disrupt its crucial supply of fertiliser imports, agricultural powerhouse Brazil is increasingly turning to natural alternatives.

Brazil, a top producer of soy, corn, cotton, sugarcane and coffee, is the world's fourth-biggest consumer of so-called "NPK" chemical fertilisers -- nitrogen-, phosphorus- and potassium-based.

It imports around 80 percent of its total supply -- and 25 percent of that from Russia, whose exports have now been targeted by Western sanctions over the Ukraine invasion.

That is causing farmers in the South American giant to turn to alternatives, including remineralizers, or "agrominerals" -- pulverised, nutrient-rich rocks that are spread on fields before planting.

Brazil, which authorised remineralizers for agricultural use in 2013, is the world leader in the technique, which is also used in the United States, Canada, India and France, among others.

"Brazil is a tropical country, and the rains tend to wash away soil nutrients. Rock powder rebuilds the soil and renews it," says Marcio Remedio, mineral resources director at the Brazilian Geological Service.

The technique also "allows plants' roots to develop better and capture the nutrients they need to grow," says Suzi Huff Theodoro, a geologist at the University of Brasilia.