U.S. Gulf:
NOLA ammonium sulfate barges continued to be reported at $330/st FOB.
Eastern Cornbelt:
The ammonium sulfate market remained at a firm $350-$370/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low reported at Cincinnati and the high reflecting the last published offers from AdvanSix out of river terminals in the Midwest. The market FOB East Dubuque, Ill., was pegged at the $362/st FOB level for fall tons.
Western Cornbelt:
The ammonium sulfate market remained at $350-$370/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low reported at St. Louis. The market FOB Camanche, Iowa, was pegged at the $362/st FOB level for fall tons.
California:
Ammonium sulfate prices were quoted at $365-$375/st FOB in early September, with reports of rail-DEL granular tons in the $410/st range in northern areas of the state.
Pacific Northwest:
The ammonium sulfate market in the Pacific Northwest was unchanged at $383/st FOB or DEL for granular and $350/st FOB or DEL for standard grade.
Western Canada:
The ammonium sulfate market in Western Canada had reportedly firmed to C$510-$520/mt DEL, up from C$505-$510/mt DEL at last report.
China:
Prices softened a bit, to $200-$205/mt FOB for caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate. While demand remains strong and steady in Southeast Asia, sellers said there is an easing of demand from other buyers, notably Brazil.
Sources in Brazil, however, question that perception. International traders countered that Brazilian buyers may be still buying lots of ammonium sulfate, but the grade mix appears to be shifting with prices and availability. So for some producers in China, the demand from Brazil appears to be easing off, while other suppliers see an increase.
The numbers reported by Trade Data Monitor show an uneven export rate of ammonium sulfate so far this year. January 2021 exports were reported at 647,000 mt against July 2021 exports of 1.1 million mt. With the exception of January and February, the top importer of Chinese ammonium sulfate has been Brazil.
Thailand:
January-July 2021 imports of ammonium sulfate were up 64 percent, according to Trade Data Monitor, to 309,000 mt from 188,000 mt during the same period last year. China has dominated 2021 sales into Thailand at 237,000 mt.
July 2021 imports were down about 36 percent, to 30,000 mt from 46,000 mt in July 2020. The main supplier this year was China at 20,000 mt.
Brazil:
The landed price in Paranagua has dropped a bit. Sources reported the market for granular ammonium sulfate at $320-$345/mt CFR, down from last week’s low of $335/mt CFR.
Brazilian buyers are happy to see the price soften but remain discouraged because they are not seeing savings as large as other buyers of Chinese product. The issue is the rising freight cost. Chinese sales to regional Southeast Asian buyers are not affected as severely as Brazilian buyers. Source said the freight rate has moved up from $45/mt just a couple of months ago to $70/mt now, with reports of higher rates to come.
Rondonopolis prices were stable at $395-$454/mt FOB ex-warehouse.The barter rate for 1 mt of ammonium sulfate at Sorriso is now pegged at 60 bags of corn.