Food is likely to become even more expensive in 2022. Because there is a lack of fertilizers worldwide, the harvests are smaller.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf Farmer Cornel Lindemann-Berk looks to the next harvest with great concern. Because fertilizer has become scarce on the world market. “Instead of 80 cents, I now pay 2.50 euros a kilo of nitrogen,” says the farmer, who runs a 388-hectare farm with his family in Frechen near Cologne. “And I can be happy if I can still get fertilizer somewhere!” Because so far he has only managed to buy a sixth of what he needs for the coming marketing year.
Large chemical companies have shut down fertilizer production in the past few weeks because it is no longer profitable. The reason is the expensive natural gas. In the production of ammonia, the intermediate product for fertilizer, natural gas is the most important raw material and energy supplier at the same time.
And the fertilizer crisis has serious consequences for the nutrition of the world. Less fertilizer means: smaller crops of poor quality. Lindemann-Berk fears 30 to 40 percent less yield.
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