Egypt’s Evergrow to raise SOP capacity in 2026

: Fertilizers
25/10/02

Egyptian fertilizer producer Evergrow will increase its SOP capacity by 60,000 t/yr next year, taking its total SOP capacity from 360,000 t/yr to 420,000 t/yr.

The additional capacity will produce only water-soluble SOP with output starting from 1 January. All output from this new capacity will be sold by Abu Dhabi-based fertilizer and chemicals trading firm Fertigo under a new offtake agreement.

Egypt is a growing hub for SOP production. Egyptian Financial and Industrial is planning to commission a new 40,000 t/yr water-soluble SOP plant at Ain Sokhna at the end of this year. N-Fert is planning to raise its SOP capacity by 120,000 t/yr by increasing water-soluble SOP output by 60,000 t/yr and building a new 60,000 t/yr granular SOP unit at its site in Sadat City, Egypt. The producer currently has a water-soluble SOP capacity of 40,000 t/yr.

By Julia Campbell

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

26/01/09

Urea estable en AL tras ataque a Venezuela

Sao Paulo, 9 January (Argus) — El ataque de Estados Unidos a Venezuela no afectó directamente a los precios de la urea granulada en los mercados monitoreados por Argus en América del Sur. Persiste la incertidumbre en la región sobre la disponibilidad venezolana para cargas futuras y los precios a los que será ofertada. Venezuela es el mayor productor de urea de América Latina, con un 36pc de la capacidad de producción de la región, estimada en 8,2 millones de toneladas (t)/año, de acuerdo con Argus . La petroquímica estatal Petroquímica de Venezuela (Pequiven) produce urea en tres grandes complejos petroquímicos ubicados en los estados de Carabobo, Zulia y Anzoátegui. El país tiene una capacidad productiva de casi 3 millones de t/año de urea, de las cuales 2,2 millones de t/año son de urea granulada y 792.000 t/año de urea perlada, según datos de Argus . Aunque Venezuela sea el principal productor de la región, Bolivia — que ocupa el cuarto lugar en capacidad productiva, después de Venezuela, Brasil y Argentina — es el principal exportador. Mientras que Venezuela exportó 421.972t de urea en 2025, Bolivia exportó 478.707t de fertilizante nitrogenado, según el Global Trade Tracker (GTT). Brasil aparece como el principal importador de ambos orígenes, recibiendo 399.963t de urea venezolana y 301.755t de urea boliviana en 2025, lo que representa el 5,2pc y el 3,9pc del total de entregas a Brasil, respectivamente. Venezuela también exportó 22.008t a Colombia durante el periodo, mientras que Bolivia cuenta con una cartera de compradores más diversificada, suministrando fertilizante a Argentina, Paraguay, Perú y Chile. Participantes del mercado con actuación en Argentina, Bolivia y Brasil señalan que aún es pronto para prever cuáles serán los efectos potenciales en el mercado de la urea de la región. Es posible que otros productores de América del Sur aumenten sus precios, reflejando el costo del riesgo de comprar el producto venezolano. Venezuela exporta fertilizantes a través del puerto de Jose, y no a través del puerto de La Guaira, que fue objeto de un ataque de EE.UU. durante la operación para capturar al presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro. Sin embargo, el costo del transporte de urea desde Venezuela aumentó tras el ataque estadunidense, aunque se espera que los cargamentos y envíos deben continuar. No hay información sobre interrupciones en la producción o problemas en el movimiento de cargas. Brasil debe recibir al menos dos barcos cargados desde Venezuela, con llegada prevista a los puertos de Paranaguá y San Francisco del Sur a principios de enero, según datos de lineup de la agencia marítima Unimar. Ambos fueron cargados entre el 30 y el 31 de diciembre, con fechas estimadas de atraque el 5 y el 10 de enero, respectivamente, transportando 30.000t de urea cada uno. No hay barcos de Venezuela con llegada prevista a los puertos argentinos en enero, según la agencia marítima Heinlein. India sube los precios de la urea Los precios de la urea granulada no sufrieron alteraciones inmediatas en reacción a los ataques de EE.UU. a Venezuela y la consiguiente incertidumbre política en la región. Los precios subieron en Brasil debido a acontecimientos específicos en el mercado de fertilizantes. El precio diario de Argus para la urea granulada se situó en $415-425/t cfr Brasil el 5 de enero, un aumento de $5/t en comparación con el nivel anterior al ataque, de $410-420/t cfr Brasil el 2 de enero. El aumento refleja los acontecimientos del 5 de enero de la licitación india de compra. India recibió ofertas de venta más bajas en $424,80/t cfr costa oeste y $426,80/t cfr costa este, en comparación con $418-420/t cfr en la licitación anterior, del 20 de noviembre. La baja liquidez también prevalece en los principales mercados de América del Sur. Brasil está a punto de comenzar la siembra de la segunda campaña de maíz 2025-26 y los participantes del mercado esperan que haya demanda de última hora en enero, pero los importadores están, en su mayoría, alejados del mercado. Argentina necesita comprar fertilizantes nitrogenados para la siembra de trigo, que comienza en mayo, pero los importadores están prácticamente ausentes del mercado, mientras que los agricultores se concentran en las actividades del campo. Paraguay también está buscando fertilizantes nitrogenados para la campaña de soja 2025-26, pero el enfoque principal es el sulfato de amonio (SA) como fuente de nitrógeno. Por Renata Cardarelli Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Brazil inflation slows to 4.26pc in Dec

26/01/09

Brazil inflation slows to 4.26pc in Dec

Sao Paulo, 9 January (Argus) — Brazil's headline inflation decelerated to an annual 4.26pc in December, mainly driven by power tariffs within housing costs. The consumer price index IPCA eased from 4.46pc in November, national statistics agency IBGE said Friday, after decelerating from 4.68pc in October. The annual figure was down from 4.83pc in December 2024 and marked the lowest year-end reading since 3.75pc in December 2018. The result came in below the 4.5pc forecast by the national monetary council CNM. Housing costs, personal expenses, education and healthcare were among the largest contributors to IPCA in December, accounting for 64pc of the annual result, IBGE said. Food and beverage costs, which weigh heavily on the index, decelerated to an annual 2.95pc in 2025 from 7.69pc a year prior. Food expenses at home decelerated to 1.43pc to end 2025 from 8.23pc in December 2024, driven mainly by lower rice and milk costs in the period. Housing costs accelerated to an annual 6.79pc in December 2025 from 3.06pc in December 2024, driven by recurring power tariffs from May-December. Power costs accelerated to 12.31pc in December after up to 21.95pc of tariff readjustments throughout the year. As for services, the index accelerated to 6.01pc in December 2025 from 4.78pc a year earlier. Brazil's central bank has kept its target interest rate stable at 15pc since June 2025. The central bank has said it plans to keep the rate steady to counter inflation. By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

CBAM suspension for ferts would be 'surprising': Yara

26/01/09

CBAM suspension for ferts would be 'surprising': Yara

London, 9 January (Argus) — Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara is not expecting a suspension of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for fertilizer products, despite recent confusion. The Commission is set to issue further guidance around provisions that could allow for the temporary suspension of the CBAM with retroactive application from 1 January 2026, according to a statement issued on 7 January , which created some confusion as to whether the carbon levy will remain in place. "To remove [CBAM] 7 days after implementing it… would undermine what it was meant to do" Yara said during the firm's Capital Markets Day presentation. Article 27a, included within proposals issued last month, stipulates a temporary suspension could be issued if CBAM causes "severe harm to the Union internal market due to serious and unforeseen circumstances related to the impact on the prices of goods". But the impact to prices of carbon intensive goods has always been expected, Yara pointed out. "It's been crystal clear that the carbon cost will be reflected in the cost of the product. The additional carbon cost is based on the commission's own methodology and default values, so this cannot be a surprise or an emergency, this is exactly what it was supposed to do", Yara chief executive Svein Tore Holsether said. A suspension on the grounds of increased cost would therefore be surprising, he indicated. CBAM has also been designed to coincide with the phasing out of free allowances for domestic industry emitters under the EU's emission trading system (ETS). "Suspending CBAM, while continuing the reduction of EU ETS allowances, will reduce the competitiveness of EU producers," Holsether said. "The intention of CBAM was to... mirror the cost that the European industry has been subject to for a number of years", he added. Yara has built a ‘quota bank' of 6mn EU ETS quotas through its emission efficiency investments which it can use against its own emissions or sell back into the market, equating to a value of around $500mn, according to the firm. Yara also plans to limit its CBAM exposure through investments or supply agreements with low-carbon ammonia production assets outside of Europe, such as the firms proposed partnership with Air Products But a suspension of CBAM would mean "we likely wouldn't have the return required on a US blue [low-carbon] project", Holsether said. Any weakening of CBAM instead "risks opening the door to carbon-intensive imports, eroding Europe's industrial base, and jeopardising food security". CBAM revenues should instead be used to create incentives to help farmers while making emitters pay, Holsether said. The Commission's 7 January statement also proposed a removal of duties on imports of ammonia and urea to help offset some of the additional costs associated with CBAM, and included details on a €48bn package of measures to aid farmers. But critics say the measures are not sufficient to support Europe's agri-food industry with additional costs, particularly while fertilizer prices are already 60pc higher than in 2020. The EU's CBAM took full effect on 1 January, imposing a carbon levy for certain goods imported into the EU. Ammonia and all fertilizers containing nitrogen from countries that are not already subject to the EU emissions trading system (ETS) or a system fully linked to the EU ETS are within scope. By Lizzy Lancaster Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Swedish SOP producer Cinis mulls liquidation

26/01/09

Swedish SOP producer Cinis mulls liquidation

London, 9 January (Argus) — Swedish water-soluble potassium sulphate (SOP) producer Cinis has announced it may be forced to begin company insolvency unless it can achieve a short-term financing deal with lenders. The fertilizer company says it is in a "strained financial situation" and currently in negotiations with financers to provide short-term credit. But liquidation in as little as two weeks remains the "most likely" outcome, a company press release said. Cinis, which produces SOP from pulp-and-paper and car battery industries, began output at its 100,000 t/yr Ornskoldsvik plant in Sweden in May 2024. It later delivered its first vessel of product to Dutch speciality fertilizer company Van Iperen in September that year. But Cinis has faced persistent challenges since then, including missing its production goals in 2024 because of production disruptions, and transportation issues. The company in April last year sought finance to boost production and fund improvement at its plant. It then in October ditched its output targets and asked for further funding, before pausing production in November. By Aidan Hall Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU CBAM tweaks could permit fertilizer exemptions

26/01/07

EU CBAM tweaks could permit fertilizer exemptions

London, 7 January (Argus) — The EU will issue guidance in the first half of 2026 on new provisions that could allow for the temporary suspension of the bloc's carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) for specific sectors, including fertilizers. And the bloc gave more details on a €48bn package of measures to aid farmers. Draft reforms and tweaks to the CBAM were announced in December. Trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said article 27a, proposed last month, could allow for its "temporary suspension" for certain goods "if market circumstances justify [it]". "It could also apply retroactively from 1 January 2026," Sefcovic said, urging EU states and the European Parliament to approve the changes as soon as possible. Sefcovic did not give a timeline but said EU agriculture ministers broadly approve, while also noting positive "echoes" in parliament. The commission will also propose temporarily removing standard import tariffs for urea, ammonia and possibly other fertilizers. The commission will also "mobilise" an additional €48.7bn, available as soon as 2028, to support farmers and rural communities and "may" increase this to €63.7bn through EU loans, a commission meeting note indicates. The note adds that "while fertilizer prices have stabilised, they remain around 60pc higher than in 2020". By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more