Magazine: Fertilizer International

Ronald Clemens , ICL’s Marketing & Portfolio Manager CRF, talks to Fertilizer International about the role of controlled-release fertilizers in sustainable agriculture.

The US fertilizer industry, ranked fourth globally in terms of total production capacity, has grown and developed alongside an increasingly sophisticated domestic agricultural sector. The Biden administration has earmarked $900 million for investment in fertilizer assets to boost domestic production capacity and reduce input costs to farmers.

Landus has invested $15 million in a 75,000 square foot fertilizer manufacturing and distribution plant in Boone, Iowa. The project was backed by a $5 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).

The last year has seen the first shipments of low-carbon ‘green’ fertilizers from companies such as Yara, Fertiberia, OCI and Sabic Agri-Nutrients. Partnerships with food manufacturers and retailers are helping to grow this emerging market and drive demand.

Fertiberia’s Puertollano green hydrogen plant was officially inaugurated by Spain’s King Felipe VI in May 2023. The 20MW capacity unit will produce up to 3,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually.

We profile leading suppliers of tailor-made pumps to the phosphate, potash and sulphur industries.

Indian producers have begun producing nanofertilizers at scale with the backing of the national government, as part of efforts to improve nutrient use efficiency, limit fertilizer subsidies and reduce fertilizer import dependency. But some scientists have questioned the claimed benefits and the overall efficacy of these novel crop nutrient products.

Market as of 20th June 2024. Urea: Prices remain stable while the market awaits clear price direction on whether to hold current f.o.b. levels or to push higher.

The fertilizer market is full of contradictions and caveats. What applies to some markets is irrelevant to others, seasonality trends can be thrown off track by a single tender or government decision, and we remain at the often shaky intersection of food, energy and mining market fundamentals.

In a major milestone, Yara International has officially opened its renewable hydrogen plant at Herøya Industrial Park, Porsgrunn, Norway.