Question NW1392 to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
18 May 2022 - NW1392
Montwedi, Mr Mk to ask the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
What are the details of the (a) quantity of fertiliser the country has imported in the past five years, (b) top five countries from which the Republic imports fertiliser and (c) kinds of fertiliser that the Republic imports the most? [
Reply:
a) The quantity of all types of fertilisers imported under HS code Chapter 31 (H31: Fertilisers) over the last 5 years is given in the table below:
|
Fertiliser Imported |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
Quantity (kg) |
2 271 365 365 |
2 018 206 922 |
2 029 747 898 |
2 230 811 393 |
2 572 542 319 |
|
Value (R) |
6 656 612 069 |
7 908 784 745 |
8 265 235 097 |
8 354 231 397 |
15 235 368 483 |
b) In 2021, the top five countries from which South Africa imported fertiliser from is given in the table below:
|
TOP 5 COUNTRIES SOUTH AFRICA IMPORTED FERTILISER FROM , BY VALUE, IN 2021 |
||
|
COUNTRY |
VALUE (R) |
QUANTITY (KG) |
|
1. Saudi Arabia |
3 078 674 393 |
346 948 554 |
|
2. Russia |
2 249 902 035 |
306 099 894 |
|
3. Qatar |
2 069 268 636 |
310 356 864 |
|
4. China |
1 572 415 102 |
384 444 680 |
|
5. Germany |
1 289 965 653 |
274 766 845 |
These listed countries have been the main sources of imports for South Africa (by value) over the last 5 years.
c) Chemical fertilisers are generally divided into three main nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), and Potassium (K). Each fertiliser base has a separate primary function in spurring plant growth. In 2021, nitrogen based fertilisers were the most imported, followed by chemical fertilisers containing two or three of the fertilising elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; followed by potassium based fertilisers and then phosphorous based fertilisers. The quantities and value of these are given in the table below:
|
TYPE OF FERTILISER IMPORTED IN 2021 |
QUANTITY (KG) |
VALUE (R) |
|
Mineral or chemical fertilisers, nitrogenous |
8 949 665 815 |
1 636 219 538 |
|
Mineral or chemical fertilisers containing two or three of the fertilising elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
3 601 768 964 |
392 324 029 |
|
Mineral or chemical fertilisers, potassic |
2 483 240 713 |
515 006 507 |
|
Mineral or chemical fertilisers, phosphatic |
130 932 227 |
22 934 366 |
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