LYUBAN DISTRICT, 31 March (BelTA) – Belaruskali, the producer of potash fertilizers, plans to ramp up production and to increase supplies to China amidst the Western sanctions, Belaruskali Director General Ivan Golovaty told reporters on 30 March, BelTA has learned.
“In our today’s operation we are taking into account external factors, including the sanctions imposed on the Republic of Belarus and directly on our enterprise. Of course, it is not easy, because new problems emerge from time to time and we need to deal with them. Yet, at the same time, we produce as much as the market needs, as much as we can deliver to our customers. In particular, since December 2021, we have been shipping potash fertilizers by container trains to China. The number of trains increases every month. New packaging lines are being built to pack the products in containers. We are set to send at least three container trains to China in the near future,” Ivan Golovaty informed.
He said that the operation of some mining departments is being adjusted to fit new production plans. This includes new operation schedules. “We are trying to work efficiently and economically. Therefore, the operation schedules of the mines are changing. The most important thing is that now we have time and opportunity to do shutdown maintenance that we planned before. Over the past two years, the company’s intensive operation did not allow us to implement the projects that we had developed because for this we had to suspend operations,” Ivan Golovaty noted.
According to him, the other day the third mining department completed a major shutdown maintenance project that lasted three weeks. A great amount of work was done. “We did more than just equipment repair. As a result of the upgrade effort, the capacity of two lines increased by 30%, and in general, if we take into account the mining department, the production increase amounted to about 10%,” Ivan Golovaty emphasized.
The second mining department also performed some repair operations. When the Krasnoslobodsky mine was launched back in 2009, its design capacity was 6 million tons. In the course of operation, the capacity rose to 8.5 million tons of ore per year. And now that the repair works are completed, the capacity might increase up to 10 million tons of ore after the resumption of intensive operations,” the company chief said.
“All the works that are underway will help boost production in the near future,” Ivan Golovaty said. He noted that Belarusian potash fertilizers are shipped to more than 130 countries worldwide. “Each market generates profit for us. Each market is unique and requires both respect and an individual approach. Belarusian Potash Company is distinguished by its respectful attitude to customers and provision of a full range of services related to the supply of potash fertilizers,” the company chief added.