US Gulf:
NOLA barge price ideas continued at $335-$345/st FOB.
Eastern Cornbelt:
Granular ammonium sulfate pricing was quoted at $400-$450/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, depending on location.
Western Cornbelt:
Granular ammonium sulfate pricing remained at $395-$425/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low confirmed at St. Louis.
California:
The ammonium sulfate market was steady at $500-$525/st FOB in California, depending on grade and location, with the high confirmed at Lathrop, Woodland, and Richvale. Rail-DEL pricing for granular tons in Northern California was pegged at the $460/st level.
Pacific Northwest:
The ammonium sulfate market remained at $430-$470/st FOB and $430-$475/st DEL in the Pacific Northwest, depending on grade, location, and supplier, with the low confirmed for standard and the high for granular product.
Western Canada:
Ammonium sulfate pricing in Western Canada was quoted at C$600-$635/mt DEL for January-February. “Shipping remains brisk on existing contracts,” said one source. “Some customers are starting to run out of ammonium sulfate for farm blends but keep thinking there might be some more softening based on the volatility of urea and softening of MAP. So they are only buying small lots to keep blending.”
China:
Sources put the current market at $165-$170/mt FOB, based on a recent sale to Indonesia. The price also reflected regular fluctuations seen in the market during the past few weeks. Traders said they expect to see even softer prices in the near future.
Indonesia:
Pupuk closed a tender for 40,000 mt of caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate at a reported $180/mt CFR. Sources said the amsul will be used in NPK production.
The tender called for one lot of 20,000 mt to be delivered by early February, with the second lot delivered any time before April 1.
Brazil:
Minor shifts in the market widened the landed price to $240-$250/mt CFR. Reports circulated that supplies might be falling off as cutbacks occur in Chinese production. Initial reports of reduced Chinese output have come on the heels of a growing number of COVID cases reported in China. International sources later said that some of the reduction may stem from cutbacks related to reduced industrial output, as the country’s workforce takes time to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Interest in amsul is waning at Rondonopolis, as more blenders look to urea instead of ammonium sulfate for their nitrogen content. The price was pegged at $390-$400/mt FOB ex-warehouse.
South Korea:
Exports of ammonium sulfate softened to 234,000 mt in 2022, according to Trade Data Monitor,a 61% drop from 603,000 mt in 2021. The primary buyers were the US with 86,000 mt, Mexico with 83,000 mt, and New Zealand with 41,000 mt.
December exports were counted at 163 mt, down dramatically from 99,000 mt recorded in December 2021. Fourth-quarter 2022 exports also showed a strong drop, falling to 43,000 mt from the year-ago 149,000 mt. Second-semester exports stood at 108,000 mt, below 283,000 mt shipped in July-December 2021.