Section: CRUSU News

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Strait of Hormuz disruptions linked to the Iran war have choked off fertilizer shipments from the Middle East and pushed prices sharply higher, prompting a wave of emergency support and trade measures as governments try to shield farmers ahead of key planting seasons.

China’s sulphuric acid exports fell 49% year on year to 666,808 t in the first four months of 2026 as Beijing moved from quota controls to a full export halt from May, removing a key supplier from the seaborne market at a time of already tight balances.

Mosaic has withdrawn its 2026 phosphate production guidance and is cutting rates at key US and Brazilian plants as record sulphur prices compress stripping margins in an already tight phosphate market.

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.

Brazil‑focused phosphate developer Aguia is nearing final approval for its Tres Estradas project in southern Brazil, with state environmental agency FEPAM now reviewing last‑minute changes ahead of issuing an operating licence.

Itafos has amended its long-term sulfuric acid supply contract with Rio Tinto’s Kennecott copper business, locking in a new pricing basis and more flexible volumes to support US phosphate production at Conda, Idaho through 2029.

Chinese fertiliser producer Yunnan Yuntianhua is backing a 10 million tonne per year underground phosphate mine in Yunnan through its 35%-owned associate Yunnan Yuntianhua Julin New Materials Co., Ltd. (Julin New Materials), aiming to secure long‑term rock supply for fertiliser and new‑energy materials.

ADNOC Gas has outlined a staged recovery plan for its Habshan complex after April attacks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while reporting sharply stronger sulphur earnings on the back of firm prices and resilient output elsewhere in its network.

Copper smelters are under fresh pressure as treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) fall amid tighter concentrate supply and rising smelter capacity, while record sulphuric acid values reshape smelter revenues.