March 31 (Reuters) - Russia plans to increase its export quotas for nitrogen and complex fertilisers, its economy ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Russia is a major producer of potash, phosphate and nitrogen containing fertilisers - key crop and soil nutrients. It produces more than 50 million tonnes a year of them, 13% of the global total, and exports to Asia and Latin America.

In November, Moscow decided to limit exports of nitrogen fertilisers and complex nitrogen-containing fertilisers for Dec 1-May 31 to help curb any further increase in food prices amid higher gas prices.

The quotas will be raised by 231,000 tonnes for nitrogen fertilisers and by 466,000 tonnes for complex fertilisers, the ministry said in a statement.

The measure will help to increase exports of these products and at the same time secure sufficient amount of the crop nutrients for domestic farmers, it added.

Russia is one of the world's largest wheat exporters, it competes mainly with the European Union and Ukraine in this market. Its farmers are now sowing spring grains for the 2022 total crop amid favourable weather.

The previous export quota for nitrogen fertilisers was 5.9 million tonnes and the one for complex nitrogen-containing fertilisers was 5.35 million tonnes. (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Matthew Lewis and Jason Neely)