Chapter 2 - The fertilizer sector

Today all mineral fertilizers used in Cuba are imported. Table 1 gives the imports of some important products between 1999 and 2001.

Table 1 Fertilizer imports, 1999 to 2001 ('000 tonnes nutrient)
Product	1999	2000	2001	Mean
Nitrogen (N)
Urea	19.1	21.6	51.2	30.6
Ammonia	9.9	0	0	3.3
Diammonium phosphate	2.0	2.5	4.3	2.9
Total N	31.0	11.0	55.5	36.8
Phosphate (P₂O₅)
Triple superphosphate	13.2	17.9	27.4	19.5
Diammonium phosphate	5.2	6.4	4.7	5.4
Total P₂O₅	18.4	27.9	32.1	24.9
Potash (K₂O)
Potassium chloride	46.8	21.6	50.3	39.6
Total NPK	96.2	60.5	137.9	101.3
Source: IFA.

However, it was not always the case that all the fertilizers were imported. In 1989, for example, the production and imports of fertilizers were as shown in Table 2.

Nitrogen fertilizers were produced at a plant at Cienfuegos and compound fertilizers at a plant at Matanzas. These plants have been idle for several years.

Average fertilizer consumption between 1999 and 2001 amounted to less than 20 percent of the 1989 level.

Table 2 Production and imports of fertilizers in 1989 ('000 tonnes nutrient)
Product	Production	Imports	Production + imports
Nitrogen (N)
Ammonium sulphate	0	57	57
Urea	27	162	189
Ammonium nitrate	104	0	104
Anhydrous ammonia	5	0	5
NPK compounds	10	0	10
Total N	146	219	365
Phosphate (P₂O₅)
Single superphosphate	0	59	59
Triple superphosphate	0	12	12
NPK compounds	15	0	15
Total P₂O₅	15	71	86
Potash (K₂O)
Potassium chloride	0	236	236
Potassium sulphate	0	10	10
Total K₂O	0	246	246
Total NPK	161	536	697
Source: IFA.