In 2024, Belarus was the fourth-ranked producer of potash having accounted for 10.7% of world output and the fourth-ranked producer of peat having accounted for 10.6% of world output. Other mineral commodities produced in the country were cement, dolomite, gypsum, lime, nitrogen, raw steel and steel products, salt, and sulfuric acid. The manufacturing sector of Belarus contributed 20.3% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP); the mining sector accounted for 0.8% of GDP. In 2024, Belarus exported 6.43 million metric tons (Mt) of potash in K2O equivalent, the leading recipient of which was China, which accounted for 29% of potash exports from Belarus.
The primary law regulating exploration, rational use, production, and environmental protection of subsoil resources is the Code of Subsoil of 2008, which was most recently amended in March 2024. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection was responsible for overseeing the rational use and protection of subsoil resources. Most large mineral-producing enterprises in Belarus were owned by the Government. OAO Belaruskali was one of the world’s leading producers of potash fertilizers and, historically, potash was the leading export product from Belarus. The company mined at the Starobin and the Petrikov potash deposits, which contain magnesium salt, rock salt, and sylvinite.
