First shipment of Russian fertilizer heads for Africa, UN says

The first shipment of Russian-produced fertilizer left the Netherlands on Tuesday en route to Malawi under a previously brokered United Nations export deal, a spokesperson for the UN secretary general said in a statement.

The shipment of 20,000 metric tons of fertilizer is the first of a series of exports destined for African countries in the coming months, the spokesperson said, adding that Tuesday's load will be sent to Malawi via Mozambique.