U.S. Gulf: Potash barge prices continued to erode last week, with most sources putting new trades in the $310-$315/st FOB range. Most attributed the lower barge numbers to the recent drop in warehouse prices in the Cornbelt.
Eastern Cornbelt: Potash was unchanged at $350-$357/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the upper end for white granular tons.
Western Cornbelt: Sources continued to quote the regional potash market in the Western Cornbelt at a flat $350/st FOB for red and $357/st FOB for white granular.
Southern Plains: Potash pricing continued to slide in the Southern Plains, with sources quoting the warehouse market at $350-$355/st FOB in the region. The Carlsbad, N.M., red granular potash market had reportedly slipped to $350/st FOB for recent tons sold into the Texas market, down $25-$30/st from last report.
South Central: Potash pricing in the South Central region was down some $10/st from last report, with the regional warehouse market pegged in the $350-$360/st FOB range.
Southeast: The regional potash market continued to slip in the Southeast. Sources pegged the market at $355-$365/st FOB or rail-DEL in the region, down another $10-$15/st from December pricing levels.
Brazil: Seller price ideas into the country are firming, with suppliers now seeking $320/mt CFR and above for new trades. Uralkali is seeking $350-$360/mt CFR for cargoes beginning in March.
Russia: Uralkali reported a 61 percent increase in potash production for the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2013, to 2.8 million mt from the year-ago 1.8 million mt. Full-year production was up 10 percent, to 10 million mt from 2012’s 9.1 million mt.