A UN committee has urged Lithuania to review its decision to ban the transit of Belarusian fertilisers, saying that it leads to food insecurity in Africa and Latin America.
“The Committee remains concerned by recent measures taken by the State party that has prevented transportation of potash from Belarus destined for third countries in Africa and Latin America resulting in shortage of fertilizers and negatively impacting food security in those countries,” the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) said in its report published early this month.
“The Committee recommends the State party to review these recent measures that impact the price of fertilizers and food security in third countries,” the document reads.
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The transit of Belarusian fertilisers via Lithuania was stopped in February 2022. Vilnius cited international sanctions on the Belarusian state-owned company Belaruskali and risks to national security.
Belaruskali products made up the bulk of Belarusian fertiliser exports and were shipped abroad by rail through Lithuania and then via its seaport of Klaipėda.
The existing EU sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers were imposed in several rounds before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In January, however, the European Commission started consultations on amending the Belarus sanctions to include an exemption for fertilisers, sources have told BNS.
Last week, UN Secretary General António Guterres attended a European Council meeting in Brussels, which led Lithuanian officials to be concerned that the fertiliser issue might heat up.
The UN says Belarusian fertiliser exports have fallen sharply due to shipping problems, which has led to a sharp rise in food prices in developing countries.
Speaking after the EU summit, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said the issue was not raised at the meeting.
The UN committee’s report was published in early March before the UN secretary general’s visit to Brussels.
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