The richest man in Africa just opened the continent’s biggest fertilizer plant. He says people are ‘begging’ him to sell crop nutrients as sanctions against Russia disrupt supply.

The richest man in Africa just opened the continent’s biggest fertilizer plant. He says people are ‘begging’ him to sell crop nutrients as sanctions against Russia disrupt supply.

On Tuesday, Africa's richest person, Aliko Dangote, opened the continent's largest fertilizer plant in Nigeria. Demand is already knocking at the door. "People are begging us to sell," Dangote told on Tuesday. Sitting on 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land on the outskirts of Lagos, the $2.5 billion fertilizer plant has an initial annual production capacity of 3 million metric tons of urea fertilizer, according to information on the website. The opening of the Dangote Fertiliser Plant comes amid a due to sanctions against Russia, which accounted for almost one-fifth of 2021 fertilizer exports, according to . Russia is also a top exporter in key fertilizer ingredients such as urea, ammonia, and potash, per trade outlet . The supply strain has sent fertilizer prices soaring, with the surging to record highs. This, in turn, is expected to feed into already "We are lucky to have this plant," Dangote told CNN. "It is coming at the right time with the Ukraine-Russia conflict as both Ukraine and Russia control substantial amounts of agricultural inputs." Dangote's fertilizer plant is already shipping to the US, Brazil, and India, CNN reported, citing the Dangote. Dangote, 64, is the 80th-richest person in the world with a