
New phosphate demand – India and Brazil
The centre of gravity of the phosphate industry continues to shift, with Chinese exports less important, and fresh demand coming from India and Brazil.
The centre of gravity of the phosphate industry continues to shift, with Chinese exports less important, and fresh demand coming from India and Brazil.
Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media
More than 370 delegates from over 160 companies and 40 countries gathered at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey, 27 February to 1 March, for CRU’s Phosphates 2023 conference.
Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media. Urea: Scarcity continued to drive urea prices higher in some markets at the end of April. The US market remains short on urea and prices spiked to reflect this. Nola barges for April were trading as high as $450/st f.o.b. ($490/t cfr), 55 percent up on this year’s low point. Southeast Asia remains short on urea too, amid planned and unplanned turnarounds, with one cargo trading at around $345/t f.o.b.
Sulphur production continues to expand in the Middle East and China both from new refineries and major sour gas projects.
The Sulphur Institute (TSI) held its World Sulphur Symposium in Edinburgh from April 25th to 27th.
Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media. Urea: Prices fell in most global markets in early March as suppliers chased limited demand. Although India’s purchase tender has yet to formally conclude, IPL looks set to book 1.15 million tonnes of urea at $330-334.8/t cfr, with traders mainly sourcing from Russian and Middle Eastern producers.
Sulphur is a vital secondary crop nutrient. It can be delivered in sulphate, thiosulphate and elemental form. The range of product and process options are outlined.
Brazil’s agricultural industry continues to expand at the same time that most of its nitrogen fertilizer industry has shut down. Meanwhile, Venezuela continues to deal with the consequences of years of underinvestment and mismanagement, and elsewhere, gas discoveries in other parts of the continent have not led to the new plant construction boom that had once been hoped for.
Advances in technology, equipment and reagents are enhancing phosphate fertilizer production. Optimisation of standard equipment is also vital for ensuring process efficiency.