The shortfall in nitrogen fertilizers worldwide has little to do with trading restrictions on Russia. It's mostly about price, which is almost wholly defined by the price of the gas used to produce it.

As a result, farmers in Europe, Africa and elsewhere are applying much less chemical fertiliser, because they can't afford it. Since the price of gas in Europe has halved since its peak (storage is full and it's not cold yet), European fertiliser factories which have been sitting idle have restarted production.

Our chart of the weeks shows improving #nitrogen profitability amid lower European gas prices #fertilizers pic.twitter.com/lD3nJUqRwf

— Fertilizer Week (@FertilizerWeek1) November 9, 2022

The longer-term problem is that agriculture has got to stop depending on fossil fuels.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}