Phosphates

Mosaic to further curtail US, Brazil phosphate output

Mosaic to further curtail US, Brazil phosphate output

Houston, 8 July (Argus) — US fertilizer producer Mosaic today said it will further reduce its phosphate operations at select North American and Brazilian facilities because of curtailed raw material supply availability. The reduced availability is due to traffic still largely halted through the strait of Hormuz . Further temporary operational measures are being taken by Mosaic as sulfur inventories decline, while supply availability and fertilizer affordability remain constrained, the company said in a statement. "These actions are a temporary response to extraordinary market conditions and do not change the company's long-term strategy or commitment to global agriculture," Mosaic said. Mosaic will further reduce output at its Bartow, Florida, plant and Faustina, Louisiana, facility, which saw its operating rates reduced earlier this year. Production at Mosaic's Riverview, Florida, plant and Uncle Sam, Louisiana, facility will now also be reduced. Multiple customers have said they expect a full halting of operations at the Faustina plant because it was idled earlier this year, while Bartow operations could continue at a reduced rate if the sulfur supply outlook becomes more positive. But no specifics from Mosaic were provided on the scale of the operational pullback at any one plant. In Brazil, additional temporary curtailments and idling of facilities are underway after the producer idled and closed SSP production and mine activity in April. In May, the producer also paused Brazilian phosphate rock production. The additional curtailment news also comes nearly a week after the US government announced it would pause countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate imports for eight months, opening the door for the return of OCP phosphate tonnes into the US market after Mosaic in 2011 alleged the countries' imports materially injured the US market. In May, the producer announced it would withdraw its 2026 phosphate production guidance of at least 7mn metric tonnes (t) and had initiated steps to curtail production at plants in Louisiana and Florida, alongside scaling back output in Brazil. The reduction in phosphate operations was also a direct result of limited raw material supply availability from the ongoing conflict in the Mideast Gulf, which has forced domestic and global phosphate producers to reduce output. By Taylor Zavala Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.