Hello, and welcome back to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: war in Ukraine is causing severe concerns to Latin American agriculture, reliant on Russian fertilizers. The migrants risking their lives to cross the Darién Gap. AMLO’s energy reform falls flat on its face.
Latin America’s wartime fertilizer race
War in Ukraine has disrupted food markets across the globe, with soaring prices for basic staples such as wheat and corn. And while many Latin American countries are well equipped to withstand the crisis thanks to their specialization in agriculture, supply chain troubles affecting basic inputs such as fertilizers are making the region’s response more complicated.
Why it matters. Russia is the world’s top exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, the second-largest in potassium fertilizers, and the third in phosphorus fertilizers. Belarus — Russia’s biggest local ally in the war — also accounts for one-fifth of global potassium fertilizer exports.
- According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Latin America currently produces food for 1.3 billion people around the world — twice the region’s current population — making domestic production vital for global stability.
Price jump. Fertilizer costs have jumped significantly since 2021, but the war sent this trend into...