LARGE E XPORTS CONTRIBUTE TO SHORTAGE OF FERTILIZERS IN THE USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T01003A001100220002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 2, 2000
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 2, 1961
• Content Type: BRIEF

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CURRENT SUPPORT BRIEF
F
iCl 28
Copy No.--.1-
2 November 1961
LARGE EXPORTS CONTRIBUTE TO SHORTAGE OF FERTILIZERS
IN THE USSR
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This report represents the immediate views of the
originating intelligence components of the Office
of Research and Reports. Comments are solicited.
W-A-R-N-I-?N-G
This document contains information affecting the national defense of
the United States, within the meaning of the espionage laws, Title 18
USC, Sections 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which
in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I A-L
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LARGE EXPORTS CONTRIBUTE TO SHORTAGE OF FERTILIZERS
IN THE USSR
Despite Soviet agriculture's pressing needs for chemicals, ex-
ports of some fertilizer materials in 1960 continued to increase at
a high rate at the expense of production for domestic use. Data in
the recently published Soviet yearbook, The National Economy of.the
USSR in 1960, indicate that quantities of potassium and p osp orus _
fertilizers supplied to agriculture declined in 1960 while exports
of materials containing these plant nutrients continued to rise, This
is an understandable situation reflecting both agriculture's relative-
ly low priority and the fact that fertilizer materials are very desir-
able export commodities, readily marketable and relatively high priced.
In view of frequent pledges by Soviet leaders this year to give
a higher priority to agriculture and especially to increase ferti-
lizer supplies, a reversal of the export trend would seem logical.
Thus far this year, however, there have been no indications that such
a reversal has taken place and several suggestions that it has not.
At the January USSR Central Committee Plenum it was noted that
shortages of apatite concentrate were limiting the production of super-
phosphate fertilizer. USSR Gosplan blamed the shortages on inadequate
facilities for producing concentrates 1/ but the extensive exports were
not mentioned. More detailed information became available in August
1961 when the Chairman of the State Committee on Chemistry, V. Fedorov,
reported that superphosphate plants in the USSR operated at only 83 to
84 percent of capacity in 1959-60 because of shortages of apatite con-
centrate and sulfuric acid. 2/ These statements suggest that the short-
age of apatite concentrate in -1960 amounted to about 250 thousand to
500 thousand tons which compares with exports of 1.8 million tons that
year. Exports of potassium fertilizer in 1960 were 629 thousand tons
or about one-third of the quantity supplied to agriculture. At the
Plenum it was stated that funds for construction of two potassium com-
bines in the Ukraine were not being allocated as planned.
Since 1955 about one-third of the exports of apatite concentrate
and almost all exports of the potassium fertilizer have been sold to
the Free World. Practically all of the exported apatite concentrate
is sold to either Eastern or Western European countries. In 1958 and
1959 the largest importer of potassium fertilizer from the USSR was
Japan which took about one-third of total Soviet exports.
Although the USSR plans to increase the supply of fertilizers to
agriculture to three times the 1958 level by 1965, the regime has also
revealed plans for a continued rise in export of fertilizer materials.
Between 1958 and 1965 Soviet exports of apatite concentrate to the
European Satellites are scheduled to increase 150 percent, or from 1.0
million tons to 2.5 million tons. 3/ Exports of potassium salts to
Japan are scheduled to increase through 1962, 4/ and a trade agreement
has been signed with Italy for the exports of increasing quantities of
potassium salts through 1965. 5/
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Supply of Potassium and Phosphorus Fertilizers
to Agriculture in the USSR,
1958-60 6/
Potassium
Fertilizers
Phosphorus
Fertilizers
1958
1,786
4,391
1959
1,892
4,480
1960
1,842
4,403
Soviet Exports of Potassium Fertilizer and Apatite
Concentrates, 1955-60 7/
Potassium Fertilizer
Apatite Concent?ate*
Year
Thousand
Metric Tons
Percent
to Non-Bloc
Thousand
Metric Tons
Percent
to Non-Bloc
1955
46
100
899
37
1956
107
79
1,124
37
1957
221
76
1,262
38
1958
395
95
1,505
34
1959
439
92
1,661
34
1960
629
n.a.
1,806
n.a.
Production of all Types of Mineral Fertilizers
and Supply to Agriculture 8/
RrQductionl
Year
Million
Metric Tons
Percent
Increase
Million
Metric Tons
Percent
Increase
1955
9.6
8.6
1956
10.6
13.5
9.4
9.3
1957
11.8
8.3
10.4
10.6
1958
12.4
5.1
10.6
1.9
1959
12.9
4.0
11.1
1.0
1960
13,9
7.8
11.4
2.7
* Phosphorus ore concentrates used in making superphosphate fer n er.
The USSR also exports relatively small quantities of phosphorus ferti-
lizer materials in the form of unconcentrated apatite ore and super-
phosphate.
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Analyst :
Coord :
2 November 1961
25X1A
Pravda, 12 Jan 61. U.
Ekonomicheskaya gazeta no. 2, 14
DD Summary no. 099, 27 J
D
tar Aussenhan a no. 13, 1961
Vneshnyaya torgovlya no. 6
Narodnoye Khozyaystvo SSSR
Ibi
d, p. 7
Vneshnyaya Torgovlya SS
N
Narodnoye Khozyaystvo S
arodnoye ozyaystvo ss
ug 61, p. 3. U.
61. OUO.
erlin. U.
60. U.
1960 godu,
(1956-59). U.
p 447. U.
v 1959 godu, p. 380. U.
SR v 1960 godu, p. 278, 447. U.
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