Calum Findlay, ADM Agriculture’s head of fertiliser, comments on the markets

Hemswell, Lincolnshire, 2 September 2021

Granular urea has traded up $13/t FOB Egypt this week following a dip due to seasonal weakness. French and Brazilian buyers stepped into the market, providing support.

India has about 5 mln t to buy before February. The next tender is likely to happen in the next few days. 

In the US, hurricane Ida hit the port of New Orleans (NOLA), which will create serious distribution issues, as the location is the key US hub for urea imports.

Import statistics show reduced nitrogen imports into the UK, down a significant amount compared with last year, indicating supply into the UK remains tight.

UK-produced ammonium nitrate for Q4 could be the most reliable for reasonable delivery timings. Road haulage issues remain and are expected to cause some delays through Q4 and into Q1 2022 across many fertiliser commodities. Buying well in advance of application is encouraged to allow time for logistics planning.