By Bosphorus News Economy Desk
Russia has agreed not to impose quotas or other restrictions on fertilizer and fertilizer raw materials needed by Türkiye, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said after the two countries signed a new supply memorandum as Ankara prepares for the agricultural production cycle beginning in October.
The deal was reached while Russia continues to maintain quantitative limits on fertilizer exports outside the Eurasian Economic Union, giving added weight to Ankara's claim that Turkish supply needs will be protected from those restrictions.
Türkiye and Russia signed the memorandum following talks in Moscow between their agriculture ministries. Ankara said it was intended to secure fertilizer and raw material supplies against disruptions caused by regional conflicts.
Yumaklı outlined the terms on September 10, noting that countries can impose export quotas or bans when domestic conditions require them and that Russia already uses such measures, but saying those restrictions would not apply to fertilizer and fertilizer raw materials needed by Türkiye.
He described the arrangement as a government-level guarantee for products Türkiye does not produce or cannot produce in sufficient quantities.
Russia's broader export controls remain in place under Government Resolution No. 431, which limits specified mineral fertilizer exports to countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union to 20,070,284 tons between June 1 and November 30, 2026 and covers several nitrogen and compound fertilizer categories.
Türkiye is not a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.
The full memorandum has not been published, and Bosphorus News found no separate public amendment to the Russian quota regulation naming Türkiye as a country exemption. Yumaklı's remarks establish Ankara's understanding of the supply guarantee, but do not show how Moscow will apply it under the existing export regime.
Russia's Agriculture Ministry said the memorandum would support further growth in fertilizer exports to Türkiye, according to Interfax, after Russian mineral fertilizer shipments to the Turkish market nearly doubled in 2025 and included compound, nitrogen and potash fertilizers.
Agricultural trade between the two countries has also risen this year, with total trade increasing by nearly 30% in the first seven months of 2026 from a year earlier. Russian agricultural exports to Türkiye rose by more than 40%, while shipments in the opposite direction increased by more than 10%.
Ankara had already widened its fertilizer supply options earlier this year after regional conflict disrupted agricultural input routes, cutting customs duties on urea imports to zero on March 7 over concerns about supply security and higher production costs. Yumaklı said existing stocks were sufficient while talks with alternative suppliers continued.
According to Ankara, the September memorandum adds a government-to-government supply commitment ahead of the autumn planting period.
Sources: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade, Government of the Russian Federation, Russian Agriculture Ministry via Interfax, Bosphorus News review and reporting.