Potential shift in sourcing comes as Canada supplies the majority of U.S. Potash imports and Belarus faces manufacturing and transportation constraints.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump stated the U.S. Is working with Belarus to secure more supplies of potash amid a trade fight with Canada, a main supplier of the critical ingredient used in fertilizers.
“The United States is working on a large Deal with respect to the purchase of Potash from Belarus,” Trump mention in a social media post on Monday. “The pricing could be for considerably less than we are presently paying to Canada, very good news for our Farmers and Ranchers.”
Moreover, Belarus has historically been a much smaller potash supplier to the U.S., and shipments out of the country could also face logistical obligations. Belarus, prior to U.S. trade restrictions, shipped over 700,000 tons of potassium fertilizers to the U.S. In 2021. That’s a fraction of the around 13 million tons that the U.S. Imported in 2025, with nearly 90% coming from Canada, as per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Trump’s comments come amid an intensifying trade war with Canada that has seen the two countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on imports. Trump’s levies, though, don’t apply to some of the most tremendous natural resources the U.S. Buys from Canada, inclusive of oil, potash and critical minerals — an indication in their significance to the U.S. Economy.
The world’s largest reserves of potash, that’s mined, are located in Saskatchewan. Shares of Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd. Dropped as much as 5.2%, while Tampa-based Mosaic Co. Fell 5.9% intraday before paring losses. The two companies dominate North American potash manufacturing through their joint venture Canpotex.
Whether Trump will be able to tap additional supplies is unclear. Belarus doesn’t have enough capacity to supply large volumes to the U.S., due to manufacturing for the year is already under contract, President Alexander Lukashenko stated earlier on Monday. The transport of Belarusian fertilizers has also confronted logistical hurdles in current years, after Lithuania’s rail system ended its contract with state-run Belaruskali OAO in 2022.
The European Union has implemented sweeping sanctions against Belarus its presidential election in 2020, that have only ramped up since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Canada’s location permits it to deliver potash at prices about 35% lower than “landlocked Belarus, so without a corresponding European move at Baltic ports, the U.S. Sanctions relief introduced by President Trump will do little to restore Belarus’ advantage,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Alexis Maxwell stated.
Trump has sought to rebuild ties with Belarus and Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian chief Vladimir Putin. The U.S. Lifted more sanctions on Belarusian potash in March following the release of political prisoners, even while European Union restrictions stayed in force, signaling a divergence of approaches towards Lukashenko amid the Russia-Ukraine war. The U.S. Is pushing Ukraine to ease restrictions on imports of potash fertilizers from Belarus and has urged Kyiv to inspire other European allies to do the same.
Potash was a major supply of foreign-currency revenue for Belarus before Western sanctions over the government’s political repression and its support for Moscow in the war on Ukraine.
U.S. Farmers and ranchers, main constituencies for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm elections, are under strain from high costs for diesel, fertilizer and other inputs, as well as disruptions in export markets as the Iran war and Trump’s tariff rules squeeze supply chains. New Orleans potash spot prices are at their highest levels since July 2023, as per Bloomberg Green Markets.
Trump has taken steps to support ease the burden on those groups, with polls displaying voters moslty disapprove of his party’s handling of the economy and the war.
