Sustainable and specialty fertilizers
Overview
The importance of sustainable and specialty fertilizer markets has grown as producers diversify their product ranges and end users seek more efficient fertilizer compositions. These developments have been further impacted by the drive towards sustainability, which has accelerated interest in these markets.
Argus market experts have many years of experience in these sectors, incorporating price reporting, cost calculations, fundamentals analysis and forecasting.
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- Newly launched Argus Sustainable and Specialty Fertilizers price reporting service
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Latest sustainable and specialty fertilizers news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global sustainable and specialty fertilizers markets
EU details zero-tariff offer for US products
EU details zero-tariff offer for US products
Brussels, 28 August (Argus) — The European Commission today released proposals to grant zero tariffs for certain US products. The offer is in response to the US' ceiling of 15pc applied to all EU exports and will have to be approved by the European Parliament and EU states. The EU is offering to apply 0pc tariffs to fertilisers, plastics, machinery, cars and car parts, wood and pulp of wood products, paper and paperboard, ceramics and leather, and for certain seafood and certain non-sensitive agricultural products. In general, the tariff reductions are implemented via product-specific tariff rate quotas (TRQs), including a TRQ of 25,000t for pig meat and 400,000t for crude soya-bean oil. The commission confirmed again that the proposals do not include "sensitive" agricultural products such as beef, poultry or ethanol. But the EU's offer does list mineral fuels, mineral oils, bituminous and inorganic and organic chemicals. It has also offered to remove import tariffs on US-origin polyethylene (PE). A senior EU official said it is important for the EU to move away from dependency on Russian fertilisers. The move is "very commonsensical" and ensures that farmers have access to affordable fertilisers. Another senior official noted that the EU plastics sector is under pressure, but US imports do not come from a low-cost economy. A safeguard provision also allows the EU to suspend imports. Once approved by the EU parliament and EU states, the commission expects that the US would implement an agreed 15pc tariff ceiling for EU cars and car parts, in line with the EU-US joint statement , retroactively from 1 August. by Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Nigeria's Dangote to build urea plant in Ethiopia
Nigeria's Dangote to build urea plant in Ethiopia
London, 28 August (Argus) — Ethiopia to build 3mn t/year urea plant Nigeria's Dangote Group and the government of Ethiopia have signed an agreement to build a 3mn t/year urea plant in Gode, Ethiopia — a first for the country. Dangote will have a 60pc share in the factory while the government of Ethiopia will hold the balance through Ethiopian Investment Holdings. No date has been set for the start of construction. The companies expect the cost to be around $2.5bn, and construction to take 40 months. Ethiopia currently consumes around 750,000t/year of urea, importing this through large tenders. There will likely be a significant surplus for export as a result. Natural gas feedstock will be sourced from the nearby Calub and Hilala gas fields. In years past OCP was connected with the possible development of an NP/NPK plant sourcing gas from the same fields. By Bede Heren Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US phosphate market divided over fall demand outlook
US phosphate market divided over fall demand outlook
Houston, 27 August (Argus) — As the beginning of September draws near, US phosphate market participants are divided over how much demand at the farmgate will be lost this fall because of unfavorable affordability and limited supply options. The US phosphate market is undersupplied, so the biggest killer of demand will be lack of supply, several buyers agreed. The domestic phosphate market overall anticipates an unavoidable decline in application demand this fall compared to last fall, stemming from import tariffs and lower production. Lower crop values are further applying downward pressure on demand. A farmer would have to sell 206 bushels of corn to afford a short ton of Nola DAP last week, compared with an average of 133 bushels of corn in September 2024, according to an Argus analysis. A short ton of Nola MAP is equivalent to 208 bushels being sold by a farmer, compared to an average of 149 bushels of corn in September 2024. But phosphate traders seem to be in two camps when it comes to discussing fall demand. The first camp insists demand destruction is being exaggerated because of the significant nutrient removal that occurs with spring planting and fall harvest. Soil will need to be replenished with nutrients, which should limit fall demand destruction to just roughly 20pc lower than last fall, those distributors said. "I think we are overplaying this demand destruction thing," one source said. "There are a lot of tons that need to be bought still." The second camp, however, anticipates a 30-40pc reduction in demand for this fall compared with the last because of the unfavorable affordability for growers. Running out of time The timeline for any unexpected spot demand to pop up is just around the corner as applications typically begin at the start of September. Distributors this week have reported customers that initially refused to buy tons over the summer are now returning to the spot market, discovering prices have increased further and supply options continue to be limited. Both domestic production and imports of phosphate within the 2024-25 fertilizer year came up short compared to the year before. Domestic output has faced shortfalls within the last 12 months after hurricanes in the summer of 2024 battered production facilities. Combined domestic DAP and MAP output for July 2024 through June 2025 was down by 10pc from the previous fertilizer year, according to data from The Fertilizer Institute. Combined DAP and MAP production for the period totaled 2.69mn short tons, 5pc lower than the five-year-average. And DAP and MAP imports into the US for this past fertilizer year totaled roughly 1.98mn metric tonnes (t), down by 24pc from the prior year, according to US Census Bureau data, driven lower by the imposition of tariffs, which has deterred offshore suppliers. About 968,000t of DAP was brought into the US during the period, down by 36pc from the prior year and 10pc lower than the five-year average. US MAP imports fell to roughly 1mn t in the year through June, down by 9pc from both the prior year and the five-year-average. The latest round of US tariff rates began on 7 August, and though Russian nitrogen and all potash imports are without duties, the domestic phosphate market is left with a sliver of the supply options it had just last year. Market participants, in turn, will be forced to either apply what is possible this fall given the current unfavorable supply and demand scenario, or hold onto optimism that the factors at hand will become more favorable by the spring. By Taylor Zavala Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
South Africa on track for strong corn harvest
South Africa on track for strong corn harvest
London, 27 August (Argus) — South African farmers are harvesting a large corn crop this year, boosting expectations of fertilizer demand in the fourth quarter. Growers will harvest the second-largest corn crop in a decade at 16.4mn t, about 22pc more than last year, according to the South African Grain Information Service (Sagis). But corn prices are considerably lower than last year — currently hovering around R4,000/t for white maize on the Safex exchange for the December contract versus R5,450/t a year ago — and overall farm income from corn will probably be lower as a result, Argus estimates. Nevertheless, sentiment among fertilizer importers and distributors has been buoyed by the prospect of a bumper corn crop and a large number of fertilizer cargoes have been booked to arrive before corn planting begins in the fourth quarter. Winter-planted crops such as wheat and barley will begin harvesting soon and Sagis estimates that these will also generally see more production than last year. The wheat harvest is estimated at 2.04mn t, up by 5.9pc on last year, while barley is down by 5.3pc to 353,000t. Canola — or rapeseed — is set to see its largest-ever crop at 320,000t — up by 10pc on last year. By Bede Heren Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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