Moscow - August 5, 2011. The production volume of URALCHEM holding enterprises during the first 6 months of 2011 increased by 4% compared to the same period in 2010, amounting to a total of 2.6 million tonnes. The production of nitrogen fertilisers increased by 3%, and complex fertilisers by 13%.

The growth in production of NPK fertilisers was in line with the company’s strategy to increase the share of specialised products with high added value while gradually reducing the production of standard types of nitrogenous and phosphate fertilizers. The total production increase in the first half of 2011 related mainly to the high production rates of Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Works, as well as to the restructuring of the production line at Voskresensk Mineral Fertilisers, OJSC. The change was made in favor of NPK fertilizers to meet the market demand. The same restructuring lead to the decreased production of phosphate fertilisers.

Comparative production figures of the URALCHEM holding companies (Thousands of tonnes):

Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of URALCHEM, OJSC commented on the operating results for the first half of 2011: "In the first half of 2011, all production facilities of URALCHEM worked at full capacity. With favorable market conditions and strong demand from Russian and foreign consumers, this enabled us to increase the production by 4% compared to the same period last year. We continue to move toward the goal of 5.6 million tonnes per year by 2015."