Towards a sustainable nitrogen fertilizer industry: Part 1: Nitrogen use
Part 1 of a two part look at a potential sustainable future for the nitrogen industry, looking at sustainable nitrogen management and nutrient use efficiency.
Part 1 of a two part look at a potential sustainable future for the nitrogen industry, looking at sustainable nitrogen management and nutrient use efficiency.
Alzbeta Klein will become the new director general (DG) of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) on 11th January 2021. She succeeds Charlotte Hebebrand who resigned in May to become Nutrien’s chief sustainability officer and executive vice president (EVP) for stakeholder relations. Patrick Heffer is currently acting as IFA’s interim DG.
Latin America has confirmed its status as a pre-eminent global marketplace for fertilizers. We report on demand growth and fertilizer supply and capacity developments within this diverse region.
Brazil’s phosphate industry is on a growth dash to meet rising domestic demand. We report on the major acquisitions, investments and expansions by CMOC, Mosaic, Yara and Itafos.
The two agricultural products most strongly associated with the economies of Southeast Asia are the food staple rice and export commodity palm oil. We explore the link between the region’s agricultural productivity and its fertilizer consumption.
Nelson Silva was appointed to Nutrien’s board of directors in the second week of August. His appointment coincided with the retirement of David C Everitt from Nutrien’s board, where he has been a director since 2013.
The last three years has seen a renaissance in fertilizer production and blending in sub-Saharan Africa. We highlight the expansion of capacity in Nigeria and other countries within the region.
Enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) occupy a small but high-value segment of the overall fertilizer market, although their production and use is accelerating. This trend is unsurprising given that their higher costs are usually more than offset by better efficiency and lower application rates.
The Sulphur Institute (TSI) has announced the selection of Ron Olson as its agronomist. Olson has over 30 years of experience as an independent consulting agronomist as well as 15 years with Cargill and The Mosaic Company. His agronomic consulting company worked directly with farmers and agricultural retailers offering custom soil sampling and soil analysis, and crop management expertise. The company pioneered the implementation of using precision agriculture tools for taking soil samples on a 2.5 acre grid, converting that data to computer maps and linking that data to GPS/GIS technology to develop crop management programs to achieve maximum economic yields. With Cargill and Mosaic he served as Research and Development Manager and led the team that developed the MicroEssentials™ suite of products., which has grown to become the leading commercial sulphur enhanced fertilizer sold globally.
Agricultural markets represent 75% of nitrogen demand worldwide. Rising populations, changing crop types, moves towards sustainability and the spread of speciality fertilizers and new technologies are all changing the market for nitrogen fertilizers, but the Covid pandemic may affect markets in a variety of different ways.