Omnia sees Africa growing farm enter help amid meals safety fears

Fertilizer producer Omnia Holdings says African governments are growing help for smallholder farmers amid fears that enter prices, pushed greater after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, may minimize crop manufacturing and worsen meals insecurity.

Omnia provides fertilizer to each industrial and smallholder farmers in a number of sub-Saharan African nations, together with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania.

The battle between Russia and Ukraine, main fertilizer exporters, has accelerated value will increase first triggered by COVID-19-induced provide chain disruptions. In keeping with Omnia, costs of fertilizer enter supplies have gone up by between 200% and 400% since January 2021.

Support businesses have warned that rising enter costs may drive Africa’s smallholder farmers to cut back plantings of staple grains resembling maize, worsening a meals disaster in a area the place tens of millions have already been plunged into excessive poverty by COVID-19, armed conflicts and local weather shocks.

Omnia Holdings chief govt officer Seelan Gobalsamy instructed Reuters in an interview that fears of fertilizer shortages because of the battle had been driving demand forward of the planting season.

“We see governments, nations the world over worrying about meals safety. Everyone desires safety of provide of fertilizer and that drives up costs, it additionally raises issues about meals safety within the coming interval,” Gobalsamy mentioned.

“What we’re seeing is much more help from governments for the smaller farmers, to help these farmers as a result of they’ve two roles – a subsistence function and a industrial function,” he added, referring to African governments.

On Monday, Omnia reported 21.437 billion rand ($1.34 billion) revenues within the full 12 months to March 31, a 30% improve in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, pushed by greater commodity costs and gross sales. Headline earnings per share – the principle revenue measure in South Africa – had been 86% up at 6.72 rand in comparison with final 12 months. ($1 = 16.0023 rand) (Reporting by Nelson Banya, Modifying by William Maclean)