U.S. Gulf:
Ammonium sulfate barge prices continued to firm, with the latest trades called $295-$300/st FOB, up from the week-ago $290-$300/st FOB. As with urea, however, sources noted that it is starting to get late in the season for ammonium sulfate, and the question is how long those numbers can last.
Eastern Cornbelt:
The ammonium sulfate market was reported in the $320-$350/st FOB range in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low at East Dubuque, Ill., and the high out of inland warehouses on a spot basis. Sources pegged the Cincinnati market at $325-$330/st FOB in late June, with Ottawa pricing quoted at the $340/st FOB level.
Western Cornbelt:
Ammonium sulfate prices were quoted at $320-$350/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low at St. Louis and Camanche and the high reported at Sioux City, Iowa.
Southern Plains:
Granular ammonium sulfate pricing was pegged at $290-$315/st FOB in the Southern Plains, with both the high and low reported out of Houston. The Catoosa/Inola market was quoted firmly at the $310/st FOB level at midweek, with some speculating that a move to $320-$325/st FOB was likely in the near term.
South Central:
Ammonium sulfate prices ranged broadly in the South Central region, from a low of $295-$300/st FOB Memphis to a high of $340/st FOB Shreveport and Little Rock, Ark.
Southeast:
Granular ammonium sulfate remained at $300/st FOB Hopewell, Va., with mid-grade referenced at $280/st FOB and standard at $260/st FOB Hopewell. The last postings from IOC included $325/st FOB Tampa, Fla. Delivered pricing in Florida was unchanged at $290/st for standard and $340/st for granular.
China:
The ammonium sulfate market remains hot in Southeast Asia and Brazil, which in turn keeps the price up in China.
Sources said supply and demand are just balanced enough to hold prices for caprolactam-grade amsul in the upper-$180s/mt FOB. While this represents an upward movement at the lower end of the price range from previous weeks, sources said the tightening of the range was expected.
Additional sales and additional demand from Turkey are also helping provide a solid floor for Chinese product.
Chinese ammonium sulfate exports in the first five months of the year were up about 30 percent, to 3.9 million mt from 3 million mt during the same period last year, according to Trade Data Monitor. The top five buyers this year were Brazil at 696,000 mt, Indonesia at 446,000 mt, Vietnam at 390,000 mt, Myanmar at 375,000 mt, and Turkey at 253,000 mt.
May exports were up 55.5 percent, to 799,000 mt from 514,000 mt in May 2020. The top two buyers this year were Brazil at 96,000 mt and Nigeria at 94,000 mt.
Brazil:
The market at Paranagua tightened to $270/mt CFR for granular and $274/mt CFR for standard amsul. Sources said few deals were done this week, with most people just talking about what prices should be.
The Rondonopolis price also shifted to just one price of $360/mt FOB ex-warehouse as limited buyers talked about limited tons. As with other commodities, sellers have scrapped their weekly price lists in favor of cutting deals when, where, and however they can.