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US Mosaic sells 40,000t of DAP for south Asia

  • Market: Fertilizers
  • 13/04/26

US phosphates producer Mosaic has reported selling about 40,000t of DAP for loading in early June and for shipment to south Asia.

Mosaic estimates a netback from the delivered price of about $840/t fob Tampa.

Mosaic did not clarify the exact destination, but India is the most likely within south Asia. If so, the delivered price is likely to be in the high $900s/t cfr or low $910s/t cfr. But no sale to Indian importers at this level has emerged. The latest confirmed DAP sale to an Indian importer was at $865/t cfr.

Mosaic also did not confirm if this sale is to a trading firm or importer. So it could be a trading firm taking a long position.

By Tom Hampson

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13/04/26

Trump warns about fertilizer 'price gouging'

Trump warns about fertilizer 'price gouging'

Houston, 13 April (Argus) — US President Donald Trump took to social media over the weekend to warn fertilizer companies against using "monopoly" power to excessively raise US prices, as the US-Israel war with Iran continues to disrupt global fertilizer supply chains. Trump said Saturday on his Truth Social platform he is "watching fertilizer prices CLOSELY" during what he described as the US "FIGHT FOR FREEDOM in Iran", adding that the administration "will not accept PRICE GOUGING from the fertilizer monopoly". Trump's public comments prompted an indirect response from Mosaic, one of the largest US producers of phosphate and potash. Global fertilizer prices are shaped by "well documented market factors", and these forces — not individual producers — determine phosphate and potash pricing, Mosaic posted Saturday on various social media platforms. Domestic and global fertilizer prices have risen sharply in recent months, reaching multi-year highs because of Iran's effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, where roughly 35pc of all seaborne urea transits through the Mideast Gulf. Similarly, 20-25pc of ammonia, 50pc of sulfur and 19pc of DAP and MAP global seaborne trade also transit the strait. Saudi Arabia is one of the leading suppliers of DAP and MAP to the US while Qatar is the same for urea. DAP and MAP prices in New Orleans, Louisiana, (Nola) both traded as high as $770/st fob last week, the highest since September 2022, but less than last week's India DAP price of $865/t cfr, also the highest since September 2022. Nola urea values ended last week at $692/st fob, up from $405/st fob a year earlier and also the highest since September 2022. The 2022 peaks occurred when the conflict between Ukraine and Russia tightened global supplies, a situation similar to the current market. The comments by Trump and Mosaic highlight the rising prominence of fertilizers in the political discourse surrounding the war in the Middle East as well as the administration's heightened political concerns as US farmers begin spring planting. The USDA has been working with the Department of Justice to investigate rising prices of seed and fertilizer since September 2025. Major fertilizer producers such as Nutrien, Mosaic, CF Industries, Koch and Yara have all been included in the investigation that has been focused on market concentration in nitrogen, phosphate and potash. "The last administration ignored this supply problem," US Department of Agriculture (USDA) secretary Brooke Rollins said Saturday on X while touting measures taken by the Trump administration to alleviate farmer input costs such as lifting trade barriers to importing Venezuelan nitrogen, temporarily waiving Jones Act shipping restrictions and easing diesel exhaust fluid regulations. USDA deputy secretary Stephen Vaden has gone so far as to allege that the behavior of North American producers is a "duopoly" and that the current state of the domestic fertilizer market lacks true competition as producers administer pricing control. Rising fertilizer prices have garnered attention from US lawmakers and prompted farmer lobbying groups to call on the Trump administration to lift countervailing duties on Russian and Moroccan phosphate imports that are under review. By Taylor Zavala Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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US blockade could hit third of remaining Hormuz traffic

13/04/26
News
13/04/26

US blockade could hit third of remaining Hormuz traffic

London, 13 April (Argus) — As much as 36pc of all tanker traffic transiting the strait of Hormuz since the start of the US–Iran war either departed or were bound for Iranian ports, the sort of voyage Washington has indicated will be restricted from today as part of its naval blockade. Of the 148 tankers that have transited the strait since 28 February, Iranian-linked voyages accounted for 53. Among these were 20 very large crude carriers (VLCC), five Suezmax, two Aframax and ten Medium Range (MR). The US on Sunday said it will impose a naval blockade against vessels of all nationalities entering or departing Iranian ports, beginning at 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) on 13 April. US president Donald Trump also warned ships complying with Iranian transit conditions, including the payment of tolls, could be stopped in international waters. The US plan is to allow navigation through the strait of Hormuz to and from non Iranian ports, much of which is being prevented by Iranian control of the strait. This move follows talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad over the weekend that ended without agreement and failed to reopen the strait. Since a ceasefire declared on 7 April, the waterway has largely remained under Iranian control, and the few ships that have passed through it appear to have either paid an unofficial toll to Tehran — believed to be the equivalent of $1/bl for crude tankers — or to have made other arrangements with the Iranian government. Iran said it would respond to a US naval blockade of Hormuz by encouraging Yemen's Houthis to resume attacks in the Bab al-Mandeb waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Tehran also threatened to target ports across the Mideast Gulf if its own facilities are attacked. The ceasefire agreement will be in place until 21 April, but it could be extended. By Erika Tsirikou Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Pakistan SOP output cut on sulphur shortage: Update

13/04/26
News
13/04/26

Pakistan SOP output cut on sulphur shortage: Update

Adds details in paragraph 2 Singapore, 13 April (Argus) — Pakistan's Mannheim SOP producers have cut run rates to 50-75pc from 80-90pc, driven by tight supply of sulphur from Iran on the back of the US-Iran war, according to producers. Around 0.6t of sulphuric acid or 0.2t of sulphur is needed to produce 1t of SOP using the Mannheim method. Mannheim producers in Pakistan rely heavily on sulphur imports from Iran as feedstocks via cross-border trade, as domestic supply is insufficient to sustain demand. The US-Iran war has pushed delivered sulphur prices sharply higher. Indications for Iranian sulphur via cross-border truck deliveries are now at an equivalent to $750-780/t cfr according to one importer. Domestic prices for sulphur-based sulphuric acid surged to 300,000 rupees/t ex-warehouse ($1,077/t) from Rs100,000/t ex-warehouse Lahore and Faisalabad in February, before the war. Barket Fertilizers has operated at a reduced rate of 75pc since late March at its 50,000 t/yr plant at Port Muhammad Bin Qasim. The producer plans to ramp up production to full capacity on 15 April after securing sufficient feedstocks. Fellow producer Agven is operating at 50pc at its 20,000 t/yr Gwadar plant in April because of a planned turnaround that will last until end of the month. The producer has yet to decide whether to return to full rates as this depends on sulphuric acid price and availability. Other producers, including Suncrop and Akbari, are operating at 50-75pc at their 40,000 t/yr plant in Rahim Yar Khan and 20,000 t/yr plant in Bhikhi, respectively, because of feedstock supply tightness and firm prices. But lower run rates are unlikely to cause SOP shortages, as buyers could switch to buying more MOP. Domestic bagged granular SOP prices are now at 260,000-280,000 rupees/t ($934-1,005/t) ex-warehouse, and buyers are likely to move to granular MOP if prices rise further, one producer said. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Iran threatens Gulf ports as US blockade looms

13/04/26
News
13/04/26

Iran threatens Gulf ports as US blockade looms

Dubai, 13 April (Argus) — Iran has warned it could target ports across the Mideast Gulf if its own facilities are attacked, describing US plans to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports as "piracy". "If the security of Iran's ports… is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will be safe," Iran's armed forces said in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB. Tehran said US restrictions on vessel movements in international waters are "illegal". Iran also said it would "firmly implement a permanent mechanism to control the strait of Hormuz", under which vessels linked to its enemies would be denied passage. Other ships would be allowed to transit subject to conditions set by Iran's armed forces. The warning comes after Washington said it would begin a blockade of Iranian ports from 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) today. The move was announced after talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad over the weekend ended without agreement and failed to reopen the strait. Oil prices have risen sharply following the US' blockade announcement. The front-month June Ice Brent contract was $102.41/bl at around 10:45 GMT today, up by about 8pc on the previous close. US Central Command said the blockade would target vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, while allowing navigation to and from non-Iranian ports through Hormuz. US president Donald Trump also warned that ships complying with Iranian transit conditions, including the payment of tolls, could be stopped in international waters. The negotiations in Islamabad ended after more than 20 hours, with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown. A ceasefire announced earlier this month remains in place but is fragile. No major attacks have been reported on Mideast Gulf energy infrastructure or Iranian targets since the talks, although clashes continue in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Shipping through the strait of Hormuz remains constrained. French president Emmanuel Macron today called for a "swift, durable diplomatic settlement" and urged the restoration of "free and unimpeded navigation" through Hormuz. France and the UK plan to convene partners in the coming days to establish a multinational maritime mission to safeguard transit. The standoff underscores a widening gap, with Washington seeking to enforce freedom of navigation, while Tehran moves towards a system of conditional access of the strait under its control. Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Pakistan SOP producers cut rates on sulphur shortage

13/04/26
News
13/04/26

Pakistan SOP producers cut rates on sulphur shortage

Singapore, 13 April (Argus) — Pakistan's Mannheim SOP producers have cut run rates to 50-75pc from 80-90pc, driven by tight supply of sulphur from Iran on the back of the US-Iran war, according to producers. Around 0.6t of sulphuric acid or 0.2t of sulphur is needed to produce 1t of SOP using the Mannheim method. Manheim producers in Pakistan rely heavily on sulphur imports from Iran as feedstocks via cross-border trade, as domestic supply is insufficient to sustain demand. The US-Iran war has pushed delivered sulphur prices sharply higher. Indications for Iranian sulphur are now at $750-780/t cfr according to one importer. Domestic prices for sulphuric acid surged to 300,000 rupees/t ($1,077/t) from 100,000 rupees/t in February, before the war. Barket Fertilizers has operated at a reduced rate of 75pc since late March at its 50,000 t/yr plant at Port Muhammad Bin Qasim. The producer plans to ramp up production to full capacity on 15 April after securing sufficient feedstocks. Fellow producer Agven is operating at 50pc at its 20,000 t/yr Gwadar plant in April because of a planned turnaround that will last until end of the month. The producer has yet to decide whether to return to full rates as this depends on sulphuric acid price and availability. Other producers, including Suncrop and Akbari, are operating at 50-75pc at their 40,000 t/yr plant in Rahim Yar Khan and 20,000 t/yr plant in Bhikhi, respectively, because of feedstock supply tightness and firm prices. But lower run rates are unlikely to cause SOP shortages, as buyers could switch to buying more MOP. Domestic bagged granular SOP prices are now at 260,000-280,000 rupees/t ($934-1,005/t) ex-warehouse, and buyers are likely to move to granular MOP if prices rise further, one producer said. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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