Azerbaijan's Sumgait to host official opening of region's first potassium sulfate plant next month

The official opening of the region's first potassium sulfate production plant will take place next month in Azerbaijan's Sumgait, Director of Elba Chem CJSC Hakan Ozbek said at the 3rd International Agribusiness Forum in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, the facility has been operating in test mode since May.

"This plant is of great importance both for Azerbaijan and for the entire region. The availability of this fertilizer will allow food production in Azerbaijan to be higher quality, sustainable, and less costly. Naturally, this depends not only on our fertilizer, but also on consistent steps taken by the entire agricultural sector chain," he noted.

The company director emphasized that the plant will be the first such enterprise in the region, noting that there are no similar production facilities in Georgia or Kazakhstan.

"China, the world's largest producer, understanding the strategic importance of this fertilizer, did not permit its export until 2025. Therefore, local production of potassium sulfate is becoming increasingly important for Azerbaijan," Ozbek said.

He stated that the plant has a production capacity of 40,000 tons per year, against Azerbaijan's domestic demand of 10,000 tons. "Starting next year, we plan to export 30,000 tons of products and supply 10,000 tons to the domestic market. However, in order to compete abroad, we need state support and subsidies," he explained.

Ozbek stressed the necessity of state support for competition and the opening of additional similar plants in Azerbaijan, noting that this would contribute to the development of the sector and the growth of fertilizer exports.