Romania’s Azomures mothballs ferts production

: Fertilizers
26/01/12

Romanian fertilizer producer Azomures has today mothballed its production facilities after efforts by state-owned natural gas company Romgaz to acquire the firm stalled.

Azomures will temporarily terminate the employment of 600 workers and suspend all major plant maintenance. But production facilities remain ready to restart when conditions are deemed "economically feasible".

Azomures has not produced fertilizer since August 2024, barring small-scale production in the second half of last year. The company, currently owned by Switzerland-based trading firm Ameropa, can produce up to 1.6mn t/yr of NPK and nitrogen fertilizers, and consumes around 1bn m³/yr of gas when operating at full capacity. Around three-quarters of its production is sold on the Romanian domestic market.

Romgaz first expressed interest in Azomures in February and an acquisition was presented as the best solution for Romanian farmers. But negotiations between the two parties stalled this week after Romgaz failed to submit an offer and acquisition timeline.

By Aidan Hall

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26/01/12

Pakistan’s SOP capacity expansion to weigh on imports

Singapore, 12 January (Argus) — Pakistan's SOP imports are likely to decline further in 2026 as domestic producers continue to expand capacity this year, driving higher demand for MOP imports to the country. Domestic producer Barket Fertilizers added 15,500 t/yr of capacity in 2025, taking its total capacity to 50,000 t/yr by November. Fellow producer Suncrop Group began commercial production at its 40,000t/yr plant in Punjab in October 2025. These additions have raised Pakistan's total SOP capacity to 110,000 t/yr as of early 2026. Agven, Barket, and United Agro plan to add at least around 60,000 t/yr of capacity by end of 2027. The increase in Pakistan's SOP capacity has dampened imports in 2025, with total arrivals down by 24pc on the year to 54,100t, latest Global Trade Tracker (GTT) data show. Taiwan remained Pakistan's largest SOP supplier in 2025, but imports fell by 24pc on the year to 22,300t, while imports from mainland China also fell by 17pc on the year to 9,200t. By contrast, supplies from Egypt and Saudi Arabia made headway in Pakistan, with deliveries from these countries growing to 5,200t and 4,800t, up from 1,400t and 3,500t in 2024, respectively. Rising SOP capacity has boosted Pakistan's demand for MOP, with 2025 imports up by 18pc on the year to 89,800t. Pakistan's SOP production adopts the Mannheim method, which uses MOP and sulphuric acid as feedstocks. Canada overtook Jordan as Pakistan's top MOP supplier in 2025, with deliveries rising to 33,800t from 1,300t in 2024. Imports from Vietnam — likely representing Laotian supply — also rose sharply to 23,700t from 8,800t a year earlier. Continued growth in Mannheim SOP capacity is expected to drive the country's demand for MOP imports this year. Pakistan's domestic SOP demand is estimated at 70,000-100,000 t/yr, according to local producers. SOP is used on chlorine-sensitive crops like potatoes, cotton, and tobacco, which are widely grown in Pakistan. Producers expect domestic consumption to gradually increase in the coming years, reducing reliance on imports and potentially paving the way for exports. Only one producer, Agven, has plans to export SOP from Pakistan, but none have materialised so far as the company focuses on the domestic market. Agven's plant is located at Gwadar port, which has poor container vessel traffic — the main mode for SOP exports. Any containerized shipments would need to be trucked to Karachi, adding significant freight costs and making exports unattractive. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Floods disrupt Australian Cu, fertiliser exports

26/01/12

Floods disrupt Australian Cu, fertiliser exports

Sydney, 12 January (Argus) — Severe flooding in Queensland has crippled key transport routes, halting copper, zinc, and fertiliser exports from one of Australia's major mining hubs. Australia's Mount Isa rail line — which supports the transport of fertiliser, copper, and zinc — remains closed due to weather-related damaged following multiple floods in late December and January. Water levels along the line are slowly receding, and major recovery works are underway, Queensland Rail told Argus on 12 January. The operator first closed parts of the Mount Isa line on 29 December because of heavy rainfall. Weather-related road and rail disruptions have impacted global producer Glencore's ability to move copper concentrate to its Mount Isa smelter by road and rail, a spokesperson told Argus . The Mount Isa line has faced disruptions before. Three locomotives and a wagon carrying copper and zinc from Glencore's Mount Isa operations derailed on 5 December 2025, triggering a three-day shutdown. Queensland Rail also closed the line for 11 days in February 2025 due to severe flood-related damage following weeks of heavy rain. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Urea estable en AL tras ataque a Venezuela

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.

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