Washington-Legislation has been introduced in Congress to help bring down the sky-high prices of fertilizer, according to the Agricultural Retailers Assn. (ARA). Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., has introduced two bills to suspend the import duties on urea and ammonium nitrate. HR5879 would terminate the limitations on AN imports from the Russian Federation, and his HR5880 would suspend the antidumping duty orders on imports of solid urea from Russia and Ukraine. Spokesman Richard Gupton said ARA supported the removal of trade restrictions on these products when they were under consideration by the ITC, and that it was his understanding that both bills are supported by the USA Rice Federation. Berry remarked that something needs to be done since the demand for fertilizer in the U.S. far exceeds what can be produced domestically. “Instead of penalizing America’s farmers, it is time to open our market to other countries capable of producing fertilizer at a much lower price.” Barry said. “This will not only provide financial relief for farmers all across rural America, but protect the long-term viability of our domestic food supply.” Berry said the duties on fertilizer imports are simply outdated. “Instead of protecting domestic fertilizer producers, they are only driving prices up for our farmers. We need a new system that gives our farmers the best deal for their agricultural products.” TFI Vice President Kathy Mathers said that TFI remains neutral on the bills, which is its stance when there is an absence of consensus among its members.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain