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You can unsubscribe from these updates at any time. We manage your personal data in accordance with our privacy policy.Saudi Arabian fertilizer producer Ma'aden has sold a combined 110,000t of DAP to three Indian importers — including IPL — at around $635/t cfr.
The product will be shipped this month. The price nets back to the low-to-mid-$620s/t fob Ras Al-Khair.
Ma'aden's previous DAP sale to India was in mid-October, in which IPL bought 40,000t of the product at around $643/t cfr for October loading.
Singapore, 16 April (Argus) — Thailand is expected to receive lower-than-normal rainfall in the upcoming southwest monsoon season starting in May, which could slow paddy planting and reduce fertilizer offtake. The main fertilizer application season, mainly for paddy planting, runs over May-October and depends on monsoon rains because paddy cultivation requires a large amount of water throughout the growing period. Rainfall across most of Thailand over April-June could be about 10pc below normal, according to the Thai Meteorological Agency. In the northeastern and central regions, where most of the paddy is planted, rainfall is forecast at 380-480mm compared with the normal 474mm in the northeast, and 270-370mm compared 352mm in the central region. Rainfall will likely be above normal in April, but below normal in May and June. Fertilizer suppliers are also concerned about growers' affordability, given that rice export prices have fallen year on the year , likely reducing farmers' cash flow for purchasing inputs. The ongoing US-Iran war has also tightened urea and phosphate supply, pushing delivered prices to Thailand sharply higher in recent weeks. This will further erode growers' ability to afford fertilizers, traders said. Thailand's department of internal trade has launched a subsidy programme, Green Flag Fertilizer Plus, to ease the impact of high fertilizer costs and falling rice prices. But the initiative will likely do little to boost planting and fertilizer offtake this season, given expectations of below-normal rainfall levels. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Singapore, 16 April (Argus) — State-owned fertilizer producer Vinachem has awarded a tender to buy about 25,000t of 27pc P2O5 phosphate rock at prices in the high-$80s/t cfr to a Vietnamese trading firm, according to several traders linked to the tender. The company closed the tender on 15 April after receiving three offers in the $90s/t cfr range. Vinachem initially sought 45,000t of phosphate rock, but reduced the volume in response to firm prices. The cargo is scheduled to load in Egypt in May. Vinachem was unavailable for comment. Vietnam imported phosphate rock only occasionally in the past but increased its imports in 2025 because of declining domestic output and lower ore quality. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Sydney, 16 April (Argus) — Australia's federal government has updated its biosecurity processes to allow fertilizer to reach farmers quicker as growers enter seeding for the winter crop, Australia's department of agriculture, fisheries and forestry (DAFF) said today. These updates will speed up the border process including for non-traditional import origins, given that the country faces a urea shortage in the coming months, Australian agriculture minister Julie Collins said on 16 April. The updates include biosecurity certification from an authorised inspector offshore, inspection of samples for cargoes from higher risk pathways, and simplified offshore entity registration and streamlined onshore compliance inspections. These will reduce costs and port clearance times, and lower administrative burdens, DAFF said. Australian fertilizer suppliers have turned to unusual origin countries including Nigeria and Egypt for urea supply in recent weeks, because the strait of Hormuz remains closed to most traffic. These origins do not have the highest DAFF accreditation, resulting in higher costs and the risk of re-exporting from these origins because of the country's strict biosecurity laws. Australia typically imports about 60pc of its urea via the strait of Hormuz, trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show. Without trade from that region farmers are facing tight supply as they begin sowing winter crops. There is 248,000t of urea in transit to Australia via eight vessels set to arrive before the end of May, vessel tracking data from Kpler show. By Susannah Cornford Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Sydney, 16 April (Argus) — Australia's federal government is turning to southeast Asia to secure fertilizer supply for the upcoming winter crop, given unprecedented supply and cost pressures caused by the US-Iran war. Australia's prime minister Anthony Albanese is travelling to Brunei and Malaysia on 14-17 April hoping to secure fertilizer supply. Australia imported 11pc and 10pc of its urea from Brunei and Malaysia, respectively, in 2025, trade data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show ( see graph ). "We're continuing to engage closely with countries in our region to support the flow of essential goods like petrol, diesel and fertilizer," Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong said on 13 April. The government is working to maintain a flow of essential goods between Australia and Brunei, including urea, Albanese said on 15 April in a shared statement with Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Brunei is not looking to introduce any export restrictions on fertilizer supply to Australia, Albanese said on the same day. Seeding for the winter crop typically starts around 25 April. Growers are considering shifting from standard crops such as wheat and canola to legumes or pulses, which require less fertilizer. Urea applications will need to be reduced for pre-seeding and top-dressing if the conflict continues, multiple suppliers said. Australia's urea imports usually peak in March-June, but the strait of Hormuz is effectively shut, limiting import origins. Australia imports around 60pc of its urea via the strait. Southeast Asia accounted for 32pc of Australia's urea imports in 2025, ABS data show. India issued a tender for 2.5mn t of urea on 4 April, with prices emerging at a substantial premium to other markets on 15 April and set to further tighten global availability. Southeast Asian producers contributed 346,000t of urea to India's last two tenders closing on 20 November and 2 January, which totalled 2.5mn t. Southeast Asia typically exports around 5mn t/yr of urea, spread across Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Vietnam. Key suppliers from the region include Malaysia's Petronas, and Brunei Fertilizer Industries. Total production was 13.5mn t in 2025, while regional demand was about 8.15mn t, Argus analytics show. Indonesia remains a major urea producer within the region, with capacity of 9.4mn t/yr, primarily driven by state-owned Pupuk Indonesia. But a substantial portion of this output is positioned for the domestic market. Meanwhile, Vietnam is mostly a strategic exporter of urea, with around 2.5mn t/yr of urea production and 1.8mn t/yr of domestic urea requirement. But its export patterns tend to be price elastic. Spikes in international prices typically encourage Vietnamese producers to re-enter the export market. Shipments from Indonesia and Vietnam into Australia are usually characterised by spot purchases, rather than consistent cargo flows or contractual deliveries. Australia's federal government is creating a Fertilizer Supply Working Group to strengthen fertilizer availability. But multiple suppliers have yet to hear details of this support, Argus was told. Argus last assessed granular urea at $780-850/t fob southeast Asia on 9 April, up from $484-498/t fob southeast Asia on 26 February before the war began ( see graph ). By Susannah Cornford and Dinise Chng Southeast Asia urea prices ($/t) Australia urea imports (mn t) Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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