Page 13 - DMEA Week 46 2022

DMEA PETROCHEMICALS DMEA

“With the formation of the first consortium
of petrochemical companies to operate in the
upstream sector, work has begun on the three
gas fields of Khartang, Gardhan and Pazen,”
Mahdavi said, according to the Tasnim news
agency and other Iranian press sources.
He also emphasised the significant contri-
butions that the petrochemical industry was
making to Iran’s economy, saying: “From the
beginning of the current [Persian] calendar
year [on March 21] until November 8, around
$9.4bn were injected into NIMA [the Iranian
state’s forex management integrated system) by
petrochemical companies.” Ahmad Mahdavi Abhari (Image: IPECC)
Meanwhile, the Tehran Times said on
November 16 that the Petrochemical Industry Persian year, an interval that ran from March 21
Employers Association had reported Iran’s total to October 22.
petrochemical export earnings up by 13% year The newspaper identified Abhari as the
on year in the first seven months of the current source of the figure. ™

Malawi to receive 20,000 tonnes of

Russian fertiliser via Dutch government

AFRICA MALAWI will receive 20,000 tonnes of Russian reported that Russian fertiliser producer Ural-
fertiliser that the United Nations World Food chem-Uralkali was prepared to donate 240,000
Programme (UNWFP) requested from the tonnes of fertilisers stuck in EU warehouses on
Dutch government, according to a Malawian humanitarian grounds to Africa, with a first
daily, the Nyasa Times. shipment destined for Malawi.
The southcentral African country’s Minister The African country is struggling to secure
of Agriculture, Sam Kawale, is cited by the title enough fertiliser as its wet season begins. In
on November 13 as confirming that The Neth- mid-October, President Lazarus Chakwera fired
erlands had agreed to release the consignment his agriculture minister after revelations that
being held at the Dutch port of Rotterdam as he cleared the transfer of $727,000 to a British
part of the European Union’s (EU) sanctions butcher to supply fertiliser to the country. The
against Russia over its February 2022 invasion butcher, Barakat Foods Ltd, failed to deliver the
of Ukraine. input.
The UN requested, in late October, for the Over the November 12-13 weekend, Malawi
fertiliser to be released through the WFP for received donations of 72,000 tonnes of fertiliser
delivery to Malawi, one of the world’s poorest from Morocco and the African Development
nations. Bank (AfDB) for distribution to 400,000 needy
The consignment is expected in the country farmers.
30 days after dispatch which Nyasa Times said The Centre for Democracy and Economic
will be next week. Development Initiatives, according to Malawi24
Although grain and fertiliser do not fall on November 14 asked Chakwera to apologise
under EU sanctions, “the fertiliser in question for promising Malawians that they could buy a
was frozen because a sanctioned individual is 50kg bag of fertiliser for $4.32 as the price has
involved with the Russian company that owns shot up to $14.40.
it,” said a statement from the Dutch Foreign Russian fertiliser producer Uralchem-Ural-
ministry. kali has agreed with the Netherlands, Estonia
The statement declining to identify the Rus- and Belgium to supply cargoes of fertilisers
sian company or sanctioned person involved. stranded in those countries to Africa, TASS
“The decision to release the fertiliser was reported.
made on the understanding that the UN would In a statement, the company cited Uralchem’s
ensure that it is delivered to the agreed location, head Dmitry Konyayev as saying the group was
Malawi, and that the Russian company and “actively working with the UN to organise free
sanctioned individual will earn nothing from deliveries to Africa of more than 262,000 tonnes
the transaction.” of mineral fertilisers that have been ‘frozen’ in
On November 1, Russia’s TASS news agency EU countries.” ™

Week 46 17•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P13