Poland imposes sanctions against Belarusian supplier of Grodno Azot fertilizer

MINSK. March 21 (Interfax) - Poland has imposed sanctions against Belarusian nitrogen fertilizer supplier MetaTradingProm, the list of persons and companies subject to sanctions posted on the Polish Interior Ministry's website showed.

The reasoning for the decision states that Minsk-based MetaTradingProm, by "acquiring the product of Grodno Azot (directly or indirectly) and then exporting it, is violating sanction restrictions, including the ban on imports and exports of Belarusian products from sanctioned entities, regardless of the country, company or other intermediary circumstances."

The Interior Ministry said that Belarusian company Grodno Azot, which "is a key supplier of nitrogen fertilizer in the region," was included in the European Union sanctions list in December 2021 and exports of its products to Poland are prohibited. However, other companies have started shipping Grodno Azot products into Poland.

Poland earlier imposed similar restrictions against a number of other nitrogen fertilizer suppliers, including Belarus-based companies NFT, Tekhnospetstrading Export and Tekhnospetstrading, as well as UAE and Cyprus residents World Chem Trading Co. and Rostumel Holding.

Restrictive measures include a ban on shipments, the freezing of all company funds and economic resources in Poland, exclusion from government procurements or tenders and so on.

Similar Polish restrictive measures are in effect against oil trader BeloilPolska, the Minsk Tractor Works and its sales division Belarus Traktor, the Minsk Automobile Plant's (MAZ) Polish division MAZ Auto Poland, Mozyrsol and a number of other companies.

Grodno Azot, one of the largest chemical companies in the CIS and Eastern Europe, produces nitric acid, nitrogen mineral fertilizer, caprolactam, methanol and other chemical products. The company is part of state corporation Belneftekhim.