Tag: Prices

Ammonia pricing in the US Mid-West stood at $625/st f.o.b. in February, with applications to field continuing to ramp up. Prices in the US Gulf remain pegged in the low-to-mid$400s/t f.o.b. Recent production outages in the region have largely subsided, though an unexpectedly early uptick in seasonal demand from local buyers is likely to provide a degree of price support moving forward. The Tampa ammonia settlement for March has been settled by Yara and Mosaic at a $445/t c.fr rollover, largely in line with market expectations. The North American market remains detached from the considerably more oversupplied global ammonia scene.

Sulphur prices declined in Q4 following the increases seen during Q3, because of ample availability and limited spot demand. One contributing factor was that phosphate fertilizer producers in China, the largest importer of sulphur, have cut downstream production due to increased export restrictions. In addition, high sulphur stocks at Chinese ports and continuing high domestic sulphur production mean that domestic buyers have other options aside from international purchases.

Sulphur prices are expected to increase during H1 2024, reversing the trend of recent declines, though good availability will limit the upside to price gains in the short term. However, should fertilizer production prove weaker than expected, prices may remain below expected levels.

Ammonia prices are expected to remain soft moving through January with little in the way of price support from both a supply and demand perspective. Weakened global sentiment was characterised by news of January’s Tampa settlement $100/t down on December at $525/t CFR, with further declines anticipated in Q1 once the Gulf Coast Ammonia (GCA) project comes online. Traders returned to their desks in the New Year and ammonia prices extended losses amid a stable supply outlook and a distinct lack of downstream industrial and fertilizer demand.

Ammonia prices are expected to remain soft moving through January into February, with little in the way of price support from both a supply and demand perspective. January’s Tampa settlement was $100/t down on December at $525/t CFR.

We look ahead at fertilizer industry prospects for the next 12 months, including the key economic and agricultural drivers likely to shape the market during 2024.

With phosphate supply concerns persisting as 2023 draws to a close, CRU’s Senior Analyst Logan Collins looks back at what’s been a dynamic year for the global phosphate market.

Urea: December began on a positive note with a flurry of Egyptian urea sales and firmer prices for delivery to Brazil. The increase in values was short lived, however, and piecemeal demand in Europe was insufficient to halt the downward trend. By mid-December, buying interest from Brazil had fizzled out, although sellers breathed a sigh of relief when India’s NFL floated a new import tender on 21st December.

More than 700 delegates from 300 companies and 55 countries gathered at the EPIC SANA Lisboa Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal, 17-19 October 2023, for the Argus Fertilizer Europe 2023 conference.

We report on fertilizer production, consumption and pricing in the US market. The country’s fertilizer industry, ranked fourth globally in terms of total production capacity, has grown and developed alongside its increasingly sophisticated domestic agricultural sector.