Sunita Somvanshi
Update (September 22): This article has been updated with President Trump’s comments at the United Nations.
A day after saying the US was working on a “massive” potash deal with Belarus, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US would keep buying from Canada. For American farmers who depend on the fertilizer, that was the key point. Belarus would be an extra supplier, not a replacement, at least for now.
Trump spoke on September 22 at the United Nations in New York. He was in a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and reporters asked about the Belarus plan.
“Belarus has a lot of potash, and our farmers need good prices,” Trump said. “We’ll continue to go with Canada, but Belarus would like to sell it for a much lower price.”
On Monday, Trump had posted that the US was negotiating a “massive Deal” for Belarusian potash. He said “the pricing would be for substantially less than we are currently paying to Canada.”
The comments come during a trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa after talks broke down.
For US farmers, supply looks steady for now. Tuesday’s comments suggest Canadian potash keeps flowing. Belarus is pitched as a lower-priced option on top, not a replacement. Whether farmers actually pay less depends on whether a Belarus deal happens, and how much extra supply Belarus can offer. That second question is open. Belarus’s leader says this year’s output is already sold.
Why Canadian potash is hard to replace
Potash is a potassium-rich mineral mined mainly for fertilizer. It helps crops such as corn, soybeans and wheat grow strong roots and resist drought and disease.
The US depends heavily on imported potash. According to the US Geological Survey, the US imports about 90% of the potash it uses, with Canada supplying approximately 79% of those imports in 2023. The USGS lists potash as a mineral commodity important to the US economy.
Belarus is a major producer, but on a smaller scale. The USGS says Belarus was the world’s fourth-largest potash producer in 2024, with 10.7% of global output.
Supply is the practical limit. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on September 11 that his country had resumed potash sales to the US after sanctions were lifted. He has also said all of Belarus’s 2026 potash production is already contracted to other buyers, according to reports.
Transport is another hurdle. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose province is Canada’s biggest potash producer, warned that Belarusian potash would have to be shipped through Russia.
This is an agricultural supply chain question as much as a trade one. Fertilizer costs feed into what farmers spend to grow food. A cheaper supplier could ease that. Any disruption to Canadian supply, which reaches US farms by rail and ship, would affect planting costs across the Midwest.
Tuesday’s comments, read alongside Monday’s post, suggest the Belarus talks work mainly as leverage in the dispute with Canada. That’s our reading of the sequence, not something the White House has confirmed.
Our earlier report on the Belarus potash plan covers Monday’s announcement. Related coverage sits on our tariffs, fertiliser and Canada pages.
Trump said Tuesday the US will keep buying Canadian potash while Belarus offers lower prices. That came a day after he announced talks on a “massive” Belarus deal. The US imports about 90% of the potash it uses, with Canada supplying around 79% of those imports. Belarus says its 2026 output is already contracted. Check back for updates on whether a Belarus agreement is signed.
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