Suriyas, Minister of Agriculture, revealed that he is urgently consulting with private sector representatives to finalize the amount of urea fertilizer needed before drafting a letter to the Russian government. It is expected that fertilizer will arrive in Thailand within three months after signing. He stressed that if prices are too high, they will not proceed with purchases.
On 20 April 2026, Mr. Suriyas Jungroongruangkit, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, spoke about his visit to the Russian Federation to discuss the purchase of urea fertilizer. After discovering an insufficient supply in Thailand, he consulted via the Russian ambassador to Thailand before meeting with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister. Russia is a major global fertilizer producer and has a policy restricting exports, so direct negotiation was necessary. The discussions went well, and Russia allocated an initial quota of 1-2 million tons of urea fertilizer to Thailand. Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and private sector are verifying demand quantities and must expedite detailing the requirements to formally request the desired fertilizer amount from Russian authorities.
Regarding the timeline for import, Suriyas stated that aftersigningwithin no more than three months,the fertilizerwill arrive in Thailand. He also mentioned that pricing discussions will be held with the two major Russian producers. If prices are too high, Thailand will not proceed with purchases, as they seek a fair price. Nevertheless, considerations must include current shortages and pricing.