Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on Dec. 15 sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate concerns raised by America’s farmers about possible anti-competitive activity and market manipulation in the fertilizer industry. “I have heard numerous concerns from Iowans and member organizations expressing concerns that fertilizer companies are colluding and unfairly raising the price of their products,” said Sen. Grassley.
He also noted that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has imposed tariffs on phosphate imports and will likely impose them on UAN. “These tariffs create additional financial hardship for farmers who are already dealing with tight fertilizer supplies across the country,” he added.
The ITC decision has also been on the minds of corn farmers, including the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), which along with several state organizations sent a letter to The Mosaic Co., Tampa, asking the company to voluntarily withdraw its countervailing duties and allow critical supply back into the U.S. at a time of inadequate supplies and soaring phosphate prices.
In November, the U.S. Court of International Trade granted a motion allowing NCGA, the Agricultural Retailers Association, American Soybean Association, National Cotton Council of America, and the National Sorghum Producers to file an amicus curiae brief in the trade case that appealed U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and ITC decisions imposing duties on U.S. phosphate imports from Morocco and Russia (GM Nov. 26, p. 1).