There's a quite surreal story—recently, a certain financial media outlet revealed a self-contradictory farce.

Because Europe no longer uses Russian natural gas, their domestic fertilizer plants are now facing astronomical costs. What to do? They can only import more fertilizer from Russia—which, ironically, is produced using the very natural gas they refuse to use. In June this year, monthly imports exceeded one million tons, hitting a ten-year high.

The reality is quite awkward: the EU currently can't find any alternatives to Russian fertilizer that can compete. Domestic production? Too expensive. Imports from Algeria and Morocco? Even pricier. Fertilizer is the "food for plants" in agriculture—it's indispensable, and substitute sources are scarce.

But the story doesn't end there. The EU decided to make things worse for itself—by raising tariffs on Russian fertilizer, aiming to reduce its competitiveness. The question is, is this move harsh enough? The media questions whether this policy can truly solve the problem, since agriculture fundamentally depends on fertilizer, and there are hardly any viable alternatives.

Now, with tariffs rising, farmers are already preparing to protest in Brussels on December 18th. The chain reaction of energy policies ultimately hits the common people who end up paying the price.