U.S. Gulf: The ammonium nitrate market remained at $255-$260/st FOB, with no business.
Western Cornbelt: Ammonium nitrate was unchanged at $305-$340/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low reported in the Iowa market on a spot basis.
California: CAN-17 had reportedly slipped to $307-$317/st FOB port terminals in California and $327-$332/st FOB inland, down roughly $10-$20/st from last report, depending on location.
AN-20 was unchanged at $310-$320/st DEL in the state.
Pacific Northwest: CAN-17 remained at $300/st FOB Kennewick, Wash., and $325/st rail-DEL in the Pacific Northwest. AN-20 was unchanged as well at $260/st FOB Kennewick and $270/st rail-DEL in the region.
China: New reports out of Tianjin say about 200 mt of ammonium nitrate was stored in or near the warehouse that exploded on Aug. 12. International sources are concerned that this latest incident may accelerate a gradual walk-away from the product.
India: The Indian government is stepping up its monitoring of ammonium nitrate. A new report to the government showed that theft and improper storage of the product in the east is a growing problem.
The report shows that much of the pilferage takes place in eastern India, where product is illegally stored in warehouse facilities. The government has tied some of the stolen ammonium nitrate to illegal mining operations and terrorist activities in the country. Some has also been smuggled into Bangladesh.
The news that ammonium nitrate may have played a role in the massive explosion in China has also prompted a closer look by Indian authorities at the handling, storage, and tracking of the product.