India's cabinet approved a proposal to spend $4.49 billion to subsidise phosphate and potassium fertilizers for the Kharif 2026 season, according to an 8 April government statement. The allocation represents an increase of approximately $460 million over the Kharif 2025 season budget, reflecting adjustments for recent trends in international prices of fertilizers and inputs including urea, DAP, MOP, and sulphur.
Three leading regional fertilizer producers have come together to create the Southeast Asia Fertilizer Association (SEAFA). The new association formally announced its formation at an industry conference in Bali on 1 April 2026. The founding members are Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) of Indonesia, Petronas Chemicals Group Berhad of Malaysia, and Brunei Fertilizer Industries (BFI) of Brunei Darussalam. Under the founding agreement, Brunei Darussalam will host the association’s secretariat. Pupuk Indonesia has been appointed to provide SEAFA’s first chairman, President Director of Pupuk Indonesia Rahmad Pribadi, with Petronas Chemicals Group providing a co-chair. The chairmanship will rotate annually between the association’s members.
Metso has signed a major agreement with Southern Peru Copper Corporation, one of the largest copper producers in the world, for the supply of copper solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) technology to the company’s Tia Maria project in Cocachacra, Peru. The new plant will produce 120,000 tons of high-purity copper cathodes per year.
Morocco's OCP is bringing forward its maintenance schedule and expects a reduction of up to 30% in output for the second quarter of 2026, the company said 2 April, with some plants beginning maintenance next week.
Turkey has prohibited exports of sulphur under GTP 2503 from 7 April through the second and third quarters of 2026, according to a 6 April communication from the Ministry of Commerce. The measure does not apply to customs declarations lodged before 7 April. The restriction followed a request from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which said sulphur prices had risen by 35-40% and that supply had tightened for fertilizer production, including AS, DAP and other compound fertilizers. The General Directorate of Exports will review any exceptional cases arising during implementation.
India is said to be considering a proposal to restrict sulphur exports after industry lobby groups raised concerns about soaring prices and disruption to supplies from the Gulf, according to local news reports. Export restrictions could add to upward pressure on global sulphur prices, as supplies from the Middle East are disrupted by the Iran war and with China also set to restrict sulphuric acid exports from next month. India exported 800,000 tonnes of sulphur in 2025.
INEOS Enterprises has agreed to sell INEOS Calabrian, its ultra-pure sulphur dioxide and derivatives business, to Ecovyst. INEOS Calabrian operates manufacturing sites in Port Neches, Texas, USA and Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Completion of the sale is expected by the end of June 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
Nitrogen markets, and urea in particular, have been impacted by a series of geopolitical shocks in recent years which have driven markets over and above normal market factors such as feedstock and shipping costs, crop prices etc.
For many years confined to pilot projects and feasibility studies, biomass based gasification is seeing rapid take up in China for methanol production and may mark a new era in syngas generation.
A market already characterised by tight supply has been thrown into chaos by the Iran war and reduction of phosphate exports from the Gulf at the knock on effect on sulphur prices, a key input into MAP/DAP production.