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U.S. countervailing duty on Russian phosphate fertilizers is now set at 12.71%, giving the latest trade measure immediate effect from publication in the Federal Register on April 17. In its final results, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that Joint Stock Company Apatit received countervailable subsidies during the 2023 review period and assigned the company a 12.71% ad valorem subsidy rate.
The notice matters because it is not just a retrospective finding. Commerce said U.S. Customs and Border Protection will assess countervailing duties on covered entries and require cash deposits at the 12.71% rate for future shipments entered on or after the publication date, unless a different exporter-specific rate applies. That makes the decision immediately relevant for importers, fertilizer buyers, and businesses exposed to politically sensitive agricultural supply chains involving Russia.
The final results cover the period from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023. Commerce said Apatit was the only producer or exporter under review and confirmed that the subsidy rate had changed from the preliminary results after considering comments submitted during the proceeding.
For trade and customs planning, the practical issue is straightforward. Once final results are published, liability stops being theoretical. Importers must account for the revised duty exposure, monitor customs entry treatment, and adjust landed-cost assumptions on affected phosphate fertilizer shipments. In a sector tied directly to food production, any shift in duty rates can carry wider commercial and political weight than the Federal Register language first suggests.
This also reinforces a broader point about trade enforcement in 2026. Measures aimed at Russian-origin goods continue to move through formal customs channels, where the operational consequences often arrive faster than the public debate around them. For companies handling fertilizer trade, the U.S. countervailing duty on Russian phosphate fertilizers is now an active compliance issue, not a pending review.
