U.S. Gulf:
Ammonium sulfate barges remained flat at $585-$590/st FOB.
U.S. Imports:
Imports of ammonium sulfate were off 34 percent for December, to 45,065 st from the year-ago 68,287 st. July-December totals stood at 389,211 st, falling 11.3 percent from the year-ago 438,868 st.
Canada topped the July-December import list at 232,996 st, off 5.7 percent from the year-ago 247,032 st. Belgian tons totaled 92,320 st, a 47.2 percent jump from 62,723 st during the same period in 2020. Russia edged South Korea’s 22,046 st total with 23,745 st, a 61.6 percent decline from 61,788 st posted one year earlier.
Declining import totals from Russia, the Netherlands, and South Korea for the fertilizer year to-date were primarily responsible for the market’s flagging July-December numbers, the data indicated.
U.S. Exports:
Ammonium sulfate exports moved 84.1 percent higher in December, to 106,538 st from the prior-year 57,872 st. July-December exports lifted 11.3 percent, to 361,884 st from the previous 325,170 st.
Eastern Cornbelt:
AdvanSix on Feb. 8 announced a $10/st increase for granular ammonium sulfate across its entire distribution system. The increase pushed pricing up to $560/st FOB Hopewell, Va., and $625-$630/st FOB river terminals in the Midwest, with inland warehouses at a typical premium to river pricing.
The company’s mid-grade and standard ammonium sulfate prices at Hopewell also firmed $10/st, with mid-grade moving to $530/st FOB and standard to $510/st FOB.
Western Cornbelt:
Ammonium sulfate pricing inched up to $610-$630/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, depending on location, with the high reported in Iowa and the low confirmed at St. Louis and reflecting a $5/st increase from last report. The St. Paul market remained at $625-$635/st FOB in early February.
California:
Ammonium sulfate pricing was moving up, with new offers ranging from $610-$640/st FOB in California, depending on grade and location. The low was confirmed at Stockton, while pricing was reportedly up $20/st to $630/st FOB Lathrop, Woodland, and Richvale, and $640/st FOB Helm.
Pacific Northwest:
Granular ammonium sulfate pricing jumped to $625-$635/st FOB and $630-$650/st DEL in the Pacific Northwest, depending on time of shipment, up significantly from $575-$625/st FOB and $585-$630/st DEL at last report. The last reported offers for standard grade were at the $585-$595/st FOB level in the region, sources said.
Western Canada:
The ammonium sulfate market in Western Canada had reportedly strengthened to C$795-$810/mt DEL, up C$5-$10/mt from last report.
China:
Weaker demand for ammonium sulfate is being reflected in pricing.Sources reported no new business out of China as sources now claim the market for caprolactam grade amsul should be down to $250/mt FOB. However, the lack of any sales leaves the sales price in the $280s/mt FOB.
The reduced demand is coming from the two major markets for China – Southeast Asia and Brazil. In both cases, sources said the reduction in demand for amsul is following the decline in urea prices. Ammonium sulfate is no longer being sought as a substitute for urea in NPK and other blended production.
Brazil:
The market is under pressure as demand for ammonium sulfate in blending operations wanes. Limited demand at the Brazilian ports pushed the price down to $295-$395/mt CFR. Sources said blenders still need the product, but are not as desperate as they were just a few weeks ago.
Inland markets remained steady, with Rondonopolis reporting the price unchanged at $530/mt FOB ex-warehouse.
Trade Data Monitor reported amsul imports in January 2022 at 390,000 mt, up 1.7 percent from January 2021 imports of 384,000 mt. The marginal boost came as urea prices were still high and blenders were looking for urea substitutes. The main supplier was China with 325,000 mt.