Saudi Arabian phosphates producer Ma'aden has sold around 55,000t combined of DAP to two Indian importers at $720/t cfr for loading on one vessel in May.
Argus understands that the buyers are Indorama and Chambal.
The price is broadly in line with the sale of 45,000t of Jordanian DAP to Hindalco at $719.50/t cfr, and nets back to $708-709/t fob Ras al-Khair. It is up by $20/t from Ma'aden's last sales to India earlier this week.
London, 12 February (Argus) — Saudi Arabian phosphates producer Maaden has reported selling 35,000-40,000t of DAP to a single buyer at about $715/t cfr Tanzania for shipment in early March. The price is on a sight basis, without credit. It nets back to the mid-$690s/t fob Ras Al-Khair and is up from Maaden's reported DAP sale to east Africa in December at $700-707/t cfr . There has been no buy-side confirmation so far. By Tom Hampson Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Singapore, 12 February (Argus) — Proposed cuts to Indonesia's nickel production quotas will potentially weigh on operating rates at high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) plants and raise production costs. Indonesia's energy and mineral resources ministry (ESDM) is expected by market participants to reduce this year's nickel ore work plans and budgets (RKAB) quotas to 250mn–260mn t, down sharply from 370mn t in 2025, which has caused consternation in the market since January. Concerns intensified after French miner Eramet confirmed on 11 February that its subsidiary Weda Bay Nickel (WBN) — the world's largest nickel mine — was allocated just 12mn wet metric tonnes (wmt) of RKAB for 2026, a steep drop from 42mn wmt last year. The announcement triggered a prompt spike in benchmark nickel prices, with the three-month London Metal Exchange (LME) contract settling at $17,940/t on 11 February, up by 4.4pc on the day. Sulphur and sulphuric acid are crucial feedstocks for producing nickel matte and mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) via the RKEF and HPAL processes respectively, with sulphuric acid in Indonesia typically generated by burning sulphur in on-site plants. The tightened RKAB quotas may lead to two potential outcomes. Producers may need to increase nickel ore imports from the Philippines or New Caledonia to maintain feedstock supply, raising production costs. But export availability from both sources remains constrained, with the Philippines already channelling most ore sales to China, while New Caledonia continues to face operational challenges. Meanwhile, surging sulphur prices have already eroded margins. Argus assessed granular sulphur cfr Indonesia at $542.50/t on a midpoint basis on 5 February, a rise of $367/t, or 196pc, from 3 January 2025. The sharp increase has been driven in part by robust demand from Indonesia's rapidly expanding nickel industry, which imported 5.35mn t of sulphur in 2025, 48pc higher than a year earlier. The rise in sulphur prices combined with limited ore supply may push margins for downstream products such as MHP into negatives. The second possible outcome is curtailed operating rates. Battery metals producers were mostly running at above nameplate capacities at their HPAL units through most of 2025, market sources said. A reduction in utilisation would directly impact demand for both sulphur and sulphuric acid. But this remains unlikely, given that HPAL facilities are typically required to operate at high rates for cost-efficiency. Higher production costs or lower capacity utilisation rates may lead to weaker demand or delays in new Indonesian projects. The latest RKAB quota reductions are expected to primarily affect operations in the Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) in North Maluku, the main recipient of WBN nickel ore. IWIP hosts Chinese producer Huafei, which requires around 1.67mn t/yr of sulphur at capacity, and Indonesian firm Blue Sparking, which came on line last month and requires 666,667 t/yr of sulphur at capacity. Stainless steel producer Tsingshan's Guangqing project, slated for commissioning in 2027 and expected to add another 666,667 t/yr of sulphur demand, may also face delays. By Deon Ngee Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
London, 11 February (Argus) — Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara reported higher fertilizer deliveries and production in 2025, following strong demand in the fourth quarter ahead of implementation of the EU's CBAM. Total fertilizer deliveries — including urea, nitrates, NPKs, CN, UAN, potash and phosphate products — for full-year 2025 rose by 4.1pc to 23.8mn t, up from 22.8mn t a year earlier. Deliveries to Europe during the year rose by 5pc to 9.1mn t, from 8.6mn t in 2024, while Yara's deliveries to the Americas rose by 5.8pc to 10.2mn t last year from 9.6mn t the prior year. The producer pointed to higher external sales in the Americas. Deliveries rose by 3pc to 5.7mn t in the fourth quarter, with Europe marking the strongest regional increase from a year earlier. European deliveries rose by 5pc to 2.27mn t on the year. The rise was partially driven by increased pre-buying ahead of the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which came into effect on 1 January. European nitrogen prices rallied in the fourth quarter when buying picked up, while production costs fell. The key European fertilizer price benchmarks German CAN, French UAN and French granular urea rose by an average 13pc in November from the prior month. Natural gas prices fell by 4pc over the same period. This dynamic supported Yara's earnings, both for the quarter and the year: The company's overall 2025 profits after tax rose to $1.37bn from $15mn in 2024. Its revenue rose to $15.6bn last year, up from $13.9bn in 2024, while operating costs rose to $14.14bn last year from $13.25bn in 2024. Meanwhile, fourth-quarter profits after tax rose to $344mn, swinging from losses of $290mn a year before. Fertilizer production recovered some of the previous years' losses, ending the year at 19.98m t, up by 1.5pc from the year earlier, which Yara attributed largely to new production records set by the producer's flagship NPK plant in Porsgrunn, in southern Norway. Fertilizer production was higher than in previous years but remained below levels from before 2022, with 2021 output at 20.77mn t. In 2026, Yara is planning to commission capabilities for carbon capture and storage (CCS) at its ammonia plant in Sluiskil, in the Netherlands. Yara is also in negotiations for a project with US gas company Air Products . The firm in 2025 signed a 10-year offtake agreement with developer Atome for 260,000t/yr of low-carbon CAN from Atome's Villeta project in Paraguay. But Yara has indicated that recent confusion over a possible CBAM suspension could slow investment decisions. By Lauren Hadeed German CAN prices vs Ice TTF front-month Yara finished fertilizer output mn t Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Cape Town, 11 February (Argus) — Mozambique's Port of Beira's maritime authority (Itransmar) has issued a notice to suspend all maritime navigation from today, 11 February. The move comes as a cyclone warning has been issued, named Gezani. It is unclear at this time when the port will reopen. The Port of Beira is a key port for Africa's fertilizer trade and is also one of the ports linked with the copper belt to bring supplies in and out through truck backhauling. In 2025, Beira imported over 194,000t of sulphur, down from over 215,000t in 2024. The port has been experiencing lengthy delays of vessels discharging with wait times around 50-60 days with high demurrage fees. Vessel berthing delays at the port have worsened in recent weeks, with shippers having little choice but to move to alternative ports. By Fenella Rhodes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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