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Phosphates: Brazilian MAP imports recover in April

  • : Fertilizers
  • 24/05/14

Brazil's MAP imports in April reached their highest level so far this year, buoyed by plentiful supply from Russia and demand ramping up ahead of the main season.

Brazil imported 378,147t of MAP in April, of which Russia accounted for nearly 260,000t, Morocco 67,000t and Saudi Arabia 51,500t. Year-to-date imports for the January to April period reached 1.025mn t, of which Russia accounted for 76pc, Morocco 15pc and Saudi Arabia 6pc.

The main changes compared with 2023 are the nearly 600,000t fall in total MAP imports compared to last year. Russia has actually raised its market share from nearly 52pc last year to 76pc. Otherwise, Moroccan MAP exports fell from nearly 500,000t in 2023 to 158,000t, while US exports fell nearly 120,000t year-on-year. Saudi MAP exports almost halved from 109,000t in the first four months of 2023. Chinese MAP exports fell from over 37,000t in 2023 to just 9,000t in 2024.

Several reasons explain the changes. Overall imports are down on an exceptionally high first four months of 2023. Average imports for the last five years were around 1.15mn t, imports for 2024 are on par. Moroccan producer OCP concentrated more on DAP shipments to India east of Suez as well as MAP shipments to Australia. High domestic prices in the US cut export availability and pulled in non-Russian and non-Moroccan cargoes from other markets.

Saudi producers also concentrated more on DAP markets in India with Chinese phosphate supply out of play. Chinese producers concentrated more on the domestic market and faced customs inspections, which limited export availability for phosphates.


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25/02/19

Low water likely to persist at St Louis into March

Low water likely to persist at St Louis into March

Houston, 19 February (Argus) — Low water conditions are expected to persist at St Louis through March, causing barge loading issues for both carriers and shippers. Minimal precipitation coupled with increased ice formation along the harbor decreased water levels to -3.3ft on 19 February at St Louis, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Some terminals at the harbor have been unable to load and unload barges because of the low water. Carriers expect this to become a larger issue when barges carrying northbound products reach St Louis in March. Although low water has been an issue at the harbor since early January, more barge carriers and shippers began to prepare for slipping water levels when grain barge movement picked up later that month. Some barge carriers have reduced the amount of product placed in barges in order to keep drafts from dipping below 9.6ft this week. Low water levels are anticipated to remain through 4 March, which may hinder barge loadings and increase delays at St Louis. St Louis has received less than an inch of rainfall over the past seven days, according to the NWS. There has been even less precipitation upriver in the Northern Plains over the past week. Larger ice formations have appeared in the harbor on account of freezing conditions. The city of St Louis is under winter weather advisory, and is forecast to receive 1-3in of snow between 18-19 February, according to NWS. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Egypt’s Misr Phosphate launches low-dust phosphate rock


25/02/19
25/02/19

Egypt’s Misr Phosphate launches low-dust phosphate rock

London, 19 February (Argus) — Major Egyptian phosphate rock producer Misr Phosphate is selling rock with reduced dust content for shipment to Europe and Latin America from Damietta port in the Mediterranean. The producer has built a facility at the Abu Tartour phosphate mine in southwestern Egypt to remove particles measuring less than 80 micrometers from crushed phosphate rock. It says the process reduces dust by about 80pc while raising the P2O5 content by 1.0-1.5pc and cutting the heavy metal content. The ‘de-dusting' facility at Abu Tartour at present is running at an output of about 1,000 t/day (t/d), with the potential to reach capacity of about 2,000 t/d in the second quarter of this year. Misr Phosphate began marketing the low-dust rock at the end of 2024. So far, 15,000t of the product — ranging from 27-29pc P2O5 — has shipped to southern Europe. A further 7,000t — containing 26-27pc P2O5 — is set to complete loading at Damietta for shipment to Brazil this week. Misr Phosphate also will load 15,000t of low-dust rock in March for shipment to Brazil and a further 20,000t in April for shipment to Spain. The prices of the cargoes sold are not yet known but are likely to be higher because of the added processing costs. High levels of dust in Egyptian phosphate rock previously excluded the product from many markets because of environmental regulations at discharging ports. Misr Phosphate says the low-dust cargoes delivered to European ports so far have unloaded successfully. Misr Phosphate is the sole license holder for mining phosphate rock in Abu Tartour. It also holds licenses to operate in El Sabaia and Red Sea mines further east. Misr Phosphate last year produced about 6.7mn t of phosphate rock of all grades, about 3.7mn t of which were exported. It targets 7mn t of phosphate rock production and 4mn t of exports for this year. Total Egyptian phosphate rock exports were 5.2mn t last year and are anticipated to reach as high as 6mn t this year, Egyptian marketing company for phosphate and fertilizers (EMPHCO) said. Egyptian rock exports totalled 680,000t in January, including 273,000t that were shipped to India. EMPHCO expects Egypt to export 1.2mn t of phosphate rock this quarter. By Tom Hampson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU draft plan seeks to cut energy costs


25/02/19
25/02/19

EU draft plan seeks to cut energy costs

Brussels, 19 February (Argus) — The European Commission has set out plans to tackle the cost of energy in the EU, warning in a draft document that Europe risks de-industrialisation because of a growing energy price gap compared to global competitors. High energy prices are undermining "the EU's global standing and international competitiveness", the commission said, in a draft action plan for affordable energy, seen by Argus . The plan is expected to be released next week, alongside a clean industrial deal and other strategy documents. Much of the strategy relies on non-binding recommendations rather than legislation, particularly in energy taxation. Officials cite EU reliance on imported fossil fuels as a main driver of price volatility. And they also highlight network costs and taxation as key factors. For taxation, the commission pledges — non-binding — recommendations that will advise EU states on how to "effectively" lower electricity taxation levels all the way down to "zero" for energy-intensive industries and households. Electricity should be "less taxed" than other energy sources on the bloc's road to decarbonisation, the commission said. It wants to strip non-energy cost components from energy bills. Officials also eye revival of the long-stalled effort to revise the EU's 2003 energy taxation directive. That requires unanimous approval from member states. The commission pledges, for this year, an energy union task force that pushes for a "genuine" energy union with a fully integrated EU energy market. Additional initiatives include an electrification action plan, a roadmap for digitalisation, and a heating and cooling strategy. A white paper will look at deeper electricity market integration in early next year. EU officials promise "guidance" to national governments on removing barriers to consumers switching suppliers and changing contracts, on energy efficiency, and on consumers and communities producing and selling renewable energy. More legislative action will come to decouple retail electricity bills from gas prices and ease restrictions on long-term energy contracts for heavy industries. By 2026, the commission promises guidance on combining power purchase agreements (PPAs) with contracts for difference (CfDs). And officials will push for new rules on forward markets and hedging. There are also plans for a tariff methodology for network charges that could become legally binding. Familiar proposals include fast-tracking energy infrastructure permits, boosting system flexibility via storage and demand response. Legislative overhaul of the EU's energy security framework in 2026 aims to better prepare Europe for supply disruptions, cutting price volatility and levels. Specific figures on expected savings from cutting fossil fuel imports are not given in the draft seen by Argus . But the strategy outlines the expected savings from replacing fossil fuel demand in electricity generation with "clean energy" at 50pc. Improving electrification and energy efficiency will save 30pc and enhancing energy system flexibility will save 20pc, according to the draft. The commission is also exploring long-term supply deals and investments in LNG export terminals to curb prices. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australian fertilizer, copper, zinc rail line to reopen


25/02/19
25/02/19

Australian fertilizer, copper, zinc rail line to reopen

Sydney, 19 February (Argus) — The Mount Isa rail line — which connects multiple Queensland phosphate and copper mines to the Port of Townsville — will reopen today, after floods damaged the track earlier this month. The track is expected to open on 19 February, the line's operator Queensland Rail (QR) confirmed to Argus. But QR did not specify the reopening time. The company announced the line closure on 10 February, after nearly two weeks of heavy rains. QR identified 1.6km of track damage along the Mount Isa rail by 14 February. The rail operator's staff were unable to access parts of the track at the time, as water covered 2km of the line. Fertilizer suppliers Incitec Pivot and Centrix use the lines for DAP/MAP and phosphate rock shipments respectively from their Phosphate Hill and Ardmore projects. Metals producer Glencore also moves copper and zinc from its Mount Isa mining complex to Townsville via the track. Centrix is planning to ship approximately 10,000t of phosphate concentrate out of the Port of Townsville in mid-March. The company also moved 25,000t of concentrate out of the port on 18 February, supported by its phosphate stockpile in Townsville. Queensland's recent floods also disrupted loadings at many of the state's coal ports, including the Ports of Abbot Point, Hay Point, and Dalrymple Bay, in early February. Coal loadings across Australia's east coast dipped to 5.42mn deadweight tonnes (dwt) over the week to 8 February, down by 27pc from 7.42mn dwt a week earlier, because of the weather issues. Argus ' MAP/DAP fob Townsville price was last assessed at $620-640/t on 13 February. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Peru backs Saudi critical minerals hub plan


25/02/15
25/02/15

Peru backs Saudi critical minerals hub plan

Munich, 15 February (Argus) — Peru's foreign minister Elmer Schialer today said he supports US policy backing Saudi Arabia's efforts to become a global critical minerals powerhouse, a strategy that aims to counterbalance China's dominance and bring down costs. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Schialer called the US approach "a good strategy". Schialer was responding to a question on whether the US' backing of Saudi Arabia's efforts to become a critical minerals refining and processing hub was a good idea. "I think we ought to give it a try, because when we have two, three or four main centers of refinement and the finalizing the product, the cost will also eventually go down, which is also very important, economically speaking," Schialer said. Led by the US, western countries are keen to loosen China's stranglehold on access to critical minerals. China controls about 90pc of the world's capacity for processing the minerals and has steadily tightened restrictions on exporting the materials and technology needed to process them. Beijing imposed new restrictions on exports to the US in late January in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports to the US from China. Saudi Arabia in recent years has made strides in positioning itself on the global critical minerals map. As part of its economic diversification plan Vision 2030, the kingdom aims to strengthen local processing and industrial value added, while building supply chains that are more resilient to global disruptions. Saudi Arabia also has reiterated its commitment to developing its substantial reserves of copper, gold, rare earths, potash, and bauxite, while also expanding domestic electric vehicle manufacturing. Riyadh in January unveiled plans to develop a new mineral investment project valued at $100bn, $20bn of which was already in the final engineering phase or under construction. The kingdom's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources increased its estimate of the value of its unexploited mineral resources from $1.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion in early 2024, boosted by new discoveries. State-controlled Aramco has also created a joint venture with Saudi state mining company Ma'aden to explore and produce energy transition minerals. By Bachar Halabi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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