Russia’s Acron Group saw its commercial fertilizer output increase by 3% in the first quarter, to 1.86 million mt from 1.80 million mt in last year’s first quarter, the producer said on April 13. Production of ammonia rose by just under 1%, to 750,000 mt, all of which was consumed in-house.
Production of nitrogen fertilizers grew by 1%, to 1.47 million mt from 1.44 million mt the previous year. Of this total, output of urea for agricultural use increased by 16% year-over-year, reaching 493,000 mt versus the year-ago 426,000 mt. UAN output also grew, increasing 10% to a total of 370,000 mt during the first quarter.
However, first-quarter production of ammonium nitrate (AN) for fertilizer use was down by 15% compared with a year-ago, falling to 583,000 mt from 682,000 mt.
Complex fertilizers production also fell in the quarter, declining 1% year-over-year to 609,000 mt, reflecting a 55% drop in output of bulk blends. In contrast, NPK output was up by 2%, reaching 596,000 mt versus 587,000 mt in the first quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, the group’s production of apatite concentrate in the first quarter increased by 4%, to 307,000 mt from 294,000 mt last year. Some 250,000 mt of the first-quarter output was consumed in-house, and 57,000 mt was sold to third parties.
Acron Group’s industrial products production in the first quarter was down 10%, falling to 271,000 mt from 302,000 mt last year. Industrial products include industrial urea and low-density and technical-grade AN, as well as methanol, formalin, and calcium carbonate, among others.
Acron Group 1Q Fertilizer Production (‘000 mt)
| 1Q-2023 | 1Q-2022 | % change | |
| Ammonia | 750 | 744 | +0.8 |
| Nitrogen fertilizers | 1,465 | 1,444 | +1 |
| AN | 583 | 682 | (15) |
| Urea | 493 | 426 | +16 |
| UAN | 370 | 336 | +10 |
| Calcium nitrate | 20 | 0 | – |
| Complex fertilizers | 609 | 615 | (1) |
| NPK | 596 | 587 | +2 |
| Bulk blends | 13 | 29 | (55) |
| Total commercial output of fertilizers | 1,858 | 1,803 | +3 |