Posted
Article written by
/2021/12/14/61b8b9accb57c_france-3.png)
One of the consequences of the war in Ukraine is the increase in the price of nitrogen fertilizers, made from gas whose prices are soaring. Cereal producers are in difficulty and are trying to find alternative solutions.
Of these 115 hectares located in Saclay in the Yvelines, Emmanuel Laura mainly cultivate cereals. “I have wheat, I also make rapeseed (…), sugar beets and then corn”, he details. But, without fertilizer, he could not carry out his production. These fertilizers are nitrogenous, but today the price of gas has tripled. Filling his tank with nitrogen would cost him 78,000 euros instead of 30,000 euros. For now, he has left half, but the grain farmer is afraid of running out.
He seeks to reduce his consumption of chemical fertilizers. “We collect plants from the Paris region that we transform into compost so that allows us to bring a little organic nitrogen”he explains. 30% of EU fertilizer imports come from Russia. Another grain farmer, Jérôme Fourrier, decided to do without fertilizers and now carries out crop rotation.