St. Paul-CHS Inc. said March 4 that it has begun trading fertilizer at its European operations office in Geneva, Switzerland. CHS currently sources crop nutrients from 19 countries, but until now has only marketed fertilizer products domestically. “In many geographies, we’re already shipping grain to the same regions where we buy fertilizer. Fully integrating these businesses will help us maximize our sourcing and logistical strengths and better serve customers,” says Mark Palmquist, CHS executive vice president and chief operating officer, Ag Business. “We’ll be in a stronger position to add shareholder value by creating unique offers and distribution efficiencies.” Joining CHS in Geneva are Walter Singer, manager of CHS Europe fertilizer department, and Hans von der Brelie, effective April 1, manager of CHS Europe fertilizer marketing. They will be responsible for sourcing and marketing fertilizer throughout the company’s European operations, which includes the Black Sea region, former Soviet Union countries, the Middle East, Africa and for fertilizers, the Indian subcontinent. They will report to Claudio Scarrozza, senior vice president, CHS Europe. Prior to joining CHS, both had extensive experience in the sector with multinational companies. Earlier this year, CHS added Hussam Deranieh, area manager, Middle East, CHS Europe, to its Amman, Jordan, office, also reporting to Scarrozza. North American fertilizer customers already doing business with CHS will gain better global connections and insight, says Palmquist. “Increasingly, world events trigger fertilizer market events, in terms of production outages and export disruption,” he says. “Experienced international traders in Europe and the Middle East focusing solely on fertilizer markets will give our domestic supply and marketing team additional market intelligence to help customers better manage volatility and risk.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain