All posts by mickeybarb@charter.net

Yara Marine Tech Buys Lean Marine

News, News Briefs, Scandinavia

Yara Marine Technologies, Oslo, a developer of emissions reduction technologies in the maritime industry, has acquired Gothenburg, Sweden-based Lean Marine, whose automated and direct fuel-saving system, FuelOpt™, and performance management and reporting software, Fleet Analytics™, have been contracted for more than 200 vessels, representing over 50 different ship-owners.

Lean Marine will continue to offer FuelOpt and Fleet Analytics as part of Yara Marine’s portfolio of green technologies for the maritime industry. These offerings will be backed by Yara Marine’s global service and support infrastructure.

Yara Growth Ventures Invests in Boomitra

California, News, News Briefs, Scandinavia

Yara Growth Ventures, the newly launched venture investing division of Yara International ASA, Oslo, recently announced a $4 million seed investment in Boomitra, Silicon Valley, Calif. Erkki Aaltonen, the Head of Yara Growth Ventures, will also join Boomitra’s Board of Directors.

Boomitra is an agricultural carbon marketplace which connects farmers selling carbon credits with large corporations and governments who buy them. It uses satellites to remotely certify and monitor a field’s soil organic carbon on field sizes as small as two hectares, enabling onboarding of farmers of nearly any size around the world.

In addition to Yara, other recent investors in Boomitra include Chevron Technology Investors; Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo; and Tom Steyer, the U.S.-based billionaire and sustainability investor.

MaxYield, NEW Co-op to Merge in August

Featured, News, Western Cornbelt

The members of MaxYield Cooperative, headquartered in West Bend, Iowa, have approved a merger proposal with NEW Cooperative Inc. in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The merger will become effective Aug. 1, 2021.

“We are pleased to report the MaxYield membership has voted in favor of this merger,” said MaxYield Board Chairman Howard Haas in a July 2 statement. “Thank you to our members for taking time to attend meetings, looking over materials, and evaluating the merger proposal. We look forward to being a part of NEW Cooperative and look forward to the opportunities that will bring our members, clients, and team members.”

To approve the merger, Iowa law required at least 50 percent (plus one) of MaxYield’s Class A membership to vote, with at least two-thirds of those casting ballots voting in favor of the merger. The ballot counting committee consisted of two MaxYield board members, two MaxYield Class A voting members, and two representatives of the auditing firm Meriwether Wilson & Co PLLC.

The merger proposal was first announced in February, when the two co-ops said a unification study had been initiated (GM Feb. 19, p. 1) after initial overtures were made in December 2020. The Board of Directors of MaxYield then reported in April that the proposed merger would proceed to a member vote in June (GM April 30, p. 1).

MaxYield currently offers grain, seed, agronomy, energy, and feed products and services from 25 Iowa locations. The company also operates three Cenex convenience stores in Iowa, and provides grain origination and accounting services for three Iowa feed mills. NEW Co-op operates agronomy, grain, energy, precision ag, and feed divisions from 39 Iowa locations, and has 5,500 member-owners throughout western and northwestern Iowa. The traditional trade areas of both co-ops are contiguous.

“It’s exciting for me to see the members of MaxYield approve this merger in an effort to continue evolving, positioning for and maintaining a strong cooperative presence across the current MaxYield trade area,” said MaxYield CEO Keith Heim. “I appreciate and thank all MaxYield team members for their efforts and their willingness to be open-minded throughout this merger process. The transition process to an effective Aug. 1 merger date is well underway and will continue throughout July and beyond.”

The advantages of the merger were highlighted at a series of member meetings in June. Earlier in the process, Haas said a combined organization would have greater cash flow, a stronger balance sheet, and long-term staying power in the industry, with an increase in patronage earnings available to members. He also noted greater opportunities for grain marketing and feed manufacturing, and well as expanded fertilizer sourcing through NEW’s recently opened Port of Blencoe terminal on the Missouri River (GM June 18, p. 1).

Under the terms of the merger, NEW Co-op will continue to operate MaxYield’s Garner and Britt feed mills after the unification. NEW Co-op will also continue to offer MaxYield’s SciMax Solutions brand as the grower learning group platform alongside NEW’s MAPS brand. In addition, NEW will continue the harvest on-farm grain pick-up program at least through the fall of 2021, and will be reevaluated prior to the fall of 2022.

NEW’s Board of Directors will now expand to a total of 15, with the addition of three directors to be appointed by the MaxYield Board of Directors. Haas said all full-time MaxYield members have been offered jobs with NEW Co-op.

“We welcome the members and employees of MaxYield to NEW Cooperative,” said Dan Dix, NEW General Manager. “We thank the MaxYield membership for the support and confidence placed in NEW Cooperative by voting in favor of this merger and we also thank the staff of MaxYield for all of the work done during the merger study. I look forward to leveraging the value that this merger brings to the combined memberships and employees of both organizations.”

TFI Disappointed by EPA Phosphogypsum Decision; Window Still Open for PG Use

News, News Briefs, U.S.

The Fertilizer Institute on July 7 expressed disappointment following a U.S. EPA decision to withdraw approval for limited reuse of phosphogypsum (PG) in road construction. EPA, which had granted approval for the limited reuse in October 2020 (GM Oct. 16, 2020), withdrew approval on June 30.

Several environmental and labor groups filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Dec. 18 asking it to review the final action taken by EPA (GM Jan. 8, p. 29). TFI intervened in the case (GM March 26, p. 31).

The same groups also petitioned EPA to regulate phosphogypsum and its related wastewater rather than the states about a month before the recent leak at the Piney Point facility (GM April 16, p. 1).

TFI said the EPA decision was inconsistent with the agency’s prior interpretation of its regulations. However, TFI said it agrees that EPA decisions should be based on, and adhere to, existing regulatory requirements.

Despite the withdrawal, TFI said that importantly it was based solely on procedural grounds, and the withdrawal did not contradict TFI’s risk assessment in support of the use of PG in road construction. TFI said the decision to withdraw left the window open for site specific projects to be considered for EPA approval based on the same scientific merits, which focus on safe, sustainable use. TFI said it concurs with EPA’s scientific evaluation and conclusion that the risk associated with the use of PG in road construction is no greater than stacking the material or placing it in mines.

TFI said the International Atomic Energy Agency said it best when they concluded that, “[a]ll evidence suggests that the [radiation] doses received as a result of the use of phosphogypsum in agriculture, road construction, in the marine environment, and in landfill facilities are sufficiently low that no restrictions on such use are necessary.”

TFI said it will continue to work with EPA and other stakeholders so that the U.S. can join with the numerous countries throughout South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Canada that permit the safe and environmentally conscious beneficial use of PG.

Environmental groups were elated by the decision and took a different spin on the science. “Allowing phosphogypsum in roads was a boneheaded, short-sighted favor to the industry,” said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “While the withdrawal cites technical deficiencies in the applicant’s petition, this action is consistent with 30 years of science showing that phosphogypsum poses a substantial risk to humans and the environment.”

As to the technical issues, according to TFI, it had contended that the facility specific information was not necessary for EPA to make a risk assessment decision. EPA agreed and made the risk assessment decision, and decided that projects using the PG could submit the facility-specific information when the project was found and approved. However, the EPA regulations stated that the facility address, signature, etc., had to be submitted prior to approval.

Smith Fertilizer Joins Landus in Optimization Model

News, News Briefs, Western Cornbelt

Iowa cooperative Landus announced on July 6 that it has signed a collaborative agreement with Smith Fertilizer & Grain, a privately-owned agronomy, grain, feed, fuel, and construction business headquartered in Knoxville, Iowa.

Smith Fertilizer is now the fifth company to join Landus in an “optimization model” that the co-op describes as an alternative to traditional mergers and acquisitions. Launched in April (GM April 16, p. 1), the new model is designed for collaboration and optimization on grain, feed, soybean processing, agronomy, data, technology, logistics, and back-office functions.

Agreements are tailored to the strengths of each party and developed on a case-by-case basis, which Landus said provides the opportunity to maximize capital investments, infrastructure capacity, and employee talent. As of July 6, Smith Fertilizer & Grain will become an Optimization collaborator with Landus while continuing to maintain separate management, employees, and operations led by Max Smith, President and CEO.

“Our Smith Fertilizer & Grain family is proud of our long legacy of hard work and commitment to doing what’s right for our customers above all else,” Smith said. “Collaboration with a company like Landus allows us to continue doing what we do best while growing from our partner’s expertise as well. This model lets us both share in each other’s strengths. It’s collaboration at its finest.”

Smith Fertilizer & Grain operates eight locations in southeastern Iowa with more than five million bushels of grain storage and over one million gallons of liquid fertilizer storage. Landus is headquartered in Ames, Iowa, and was formed in 2016 through the merger of Farmers Cooperative Co. in Ames and West Central Cooperative in Ralston, Iowa (GM April 15, 2016).

With 7,000 farmer-owners and 600 full-time employees at locations in more than 60 communities, Landus ranks as Iowa’s largest agricultural cooperative, providing products and services in agronomy, grain, feed, animal nutrition, and data.

“We are excited to welcome the Smith Fertilizer & Grain team to our growing Optimization network,” said Matt Carstens, Landus President and CEO. “They demonstrate a like-minded commitment to leaning into the future of agriculture and putting the profitability of their farmers first.”

Iowa Fertilizer Facility on List for INFRA Funds

Featured, News, U.S.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg on June 30 announced that the Biden administration intends to award $905.25 million to 24 projects in 18 states under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program. The list of projects includes renovations and expansions at port/rail facilities in Georgia and Philadelphia, and upgrades to a fertilizer storage facility in Dubuque, Iowa.

“These timely investments in our infrastructure will create jobs and support regional economies, while helping to spur innovation, confront climate change, and address inequities across the country,” Buttigieg said.

The City of Dubuque will be awarded $5 million to increase capacity and make improvements to the Gavilon marine port and rail facility at Dove Harbor terminal at the Port of Dubuque. The project includes renovations to an existing fertilizer storage shed that is near the end of its lifespan to increase storage capacity by approximately 12,000 tons.

The project also replaces and upgrades approximately 7,300 feet of inoperable rail track at the Dubuque site, and relocates approximately 2,800 feet of rail track to support direct transfer/transloading of fertilizer and other bulk products from river barge to rail. In addition, the project funds the installation of new rail equipment, including a main line switch, loadout system and shed, and rail-to-barge direct transfer system.

“The capacity expansion and improved rail access to Dove Harbor will increase the tonnage of fertilizer shipped through the terminal, will shift fertilizer and grain shipping from truck and rail to port and rail, and will address safety by upgrading hazardous rail track,” the DOT said. “The cargo diversion from truck to maritime transport results in substantial economic vitality benefits, such as reduced operating costs for shippers, and also directly contributes to the climate goal in Dubuque’s Climate Action Plan to decrease VMT by 10 percent by 2030.”

The INFRA program will award $46,868,000 to the Georgia Ports Authority to build a new inland container port along the I-85/I-985 corridor on a 104-acre site at the Gateway Industrial Centre in Gainesville, Ga., which will be linked with the Port of Savannah by direct, 324-mile intermodal freight rail service. The project would divert truck traffic to intermodal rail transportation to and from the port. The DOT said the project has private sector funding participation from a freight railroad.

INFRA will also award $49 million to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority to construct a new multi-use berth at the Southport facility to accommodate roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) vessels. The project will also make it possible for the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in Philadelphia to handle additional containerships and would allow for Pier 122 to handle bulk cargo.

The DOT said it prioritized projects that “would improve local economies, create jobs, and meet all statutory requirements,” but also considered “how they would address climate change, environmental justice, and racial equity.” In addition, INFRA projects were rated “on the extent that they applied innovative technology” and whether they could be delivered cost effectively.

The DOT said it evaluated 157 eligible applications from 42 states totaling approximately $6.8 billion in grant requests, which was more than seven times the funding available under the INFRA program. Of the approved grants, approximately 44 percent of the funding is slated for rural projects.

As required under the FAST Act, Congress will now have 60 days to review the DOT’s proposed project awardees. After the 60-day review period, the DOT is free to begin obligating funding.

Ammonia

Ammonia, Black Sea, Brazil, Eastern Cornbelt, India, Market Watch, Middle East, Northern Plains, Northwestern Europe, Tampa, U.S. Exports, U.S. Gulf, U.S. Imports, Western Cornbelt

U.S. Gulf/Tampa:

July Tampa ammonia prices continued at $585/mt CFR.

U.S. Imports:

Ammonia imports for July-May were down 7.5 percent, according to the Department of Commerce (DOC), to 2.38 million st from 2.57 million st during the same period last year. Imports firmed 8.2 percent in May, however, to 252,102 st 233,037 st.

U.S. Exports:

Ammonia exports firmed 11.5 percent in July-May, to 504,728 st from the year-ago 452,542 st. May shipments stood at 40,462 st, rising 138.9 percent year-over-year from 16,939 st.

Eastern Cornbelt:

Ammonia prices continued to climb in the Eastern Cornbelt. Sources said CF raised its prices $10/st on July 7, with prompt or fall prepay prices firming to $635/st FOB in Illinois and $640/st FOB in Indiana. The posted price at Lima, Ohio, was reported at $645/st FOB, while 4Q prepay offers at East Dubuque, Ill., were quoted at the $650/st FOB level.

Western Cornbelt:

Ammonia prepay offers for fourth-quarter shipments edged up to $635-$650/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt in early July, with the low confirmed at Palmyra, Mo, and the high at Fort Dodge, Iowa. The prepay market in Nebraska was pegged at the $640/st FOB level for October-December shipment.

In the Southern Plains, sources reported 4Q ammonia prepay offers at $580/st FOB Pryor and Verdigris, Okla., and $600/st FOB Coffeyville, Kan.

Northern Plains:

Ammonia pricing in the Northern Plains was quoted at $570-$620/st FOB, with the low for the last prompt/fill offers and the high for fall prepay. The last prompt delivered offers in the region were reported at the $645/st level.

Black Sea:

Suppliers reported limited material for export, so they are focusing on contract sales. The ammonia price from the last spot deal of a week ago is holding at $550-$555/mt FOB. Producers, however, are strongly arguing that the next deal that comes along will have to be at $600/mt FOB.

The large jump, sources said, is justified because of strong demand from Southeast Asia and limited material from the Arab Gulf. Buyers in Asia are looking as far afield as the Caribbean for product, so checking out availability from the Black Sea fits in without a problem.

Middle East:

Ammonia supplies from the area are severely limited. Plant shutdowns, combined with strong global demand, is keeping the region out of the spot business.

The last spot price of $610/mt FOB is still the public price. Sources said once material becomes available, however, producers will be expecting prices closer to $650/mt FOB. One trader said that level is highly likely to happen.

India:

To the surprise of the industry, an award was issued by FACT for a July ammonia shipment of 7,500 mt. Sources said FACT agreed to pay $660/mt CFR for a cargo to be shipped later this month.

FACT was also looking for an August shipment, but no offers were made. A new tender is slated to close on July 13 for 7,500 mt to be shipped in early August.

The confirmation of the FACT award tightens the import market price from last week, when sources estimated a deal into India at $650-$670/mt CFR.

Northwest Europe:

Higher prices in the Black Sea and North Africa, and a firming level from Baltic ports, have moved the Northwest Europe ammonia price up to $570-$615/mt C&F. Sources said with duty paid, the price moves to $600-$645/mt CFR.

The Baltic price for July is pegged at $540/mt FOB. Rising Yuzhnyy prices and reduced availability for Europe from the Caribbean could mean higher August prices.

Brazil:

Ammonia imports for the first half of the year were up about 78 percent, to 322,000 mt from 181,000 mt during the same period last year, according to Trade Data Monitor. Imports for June 2021 were up dramatically as well, to 87,000 mt from 36,000 mt in June 2020.

Second-quarter imports this year jumped almost 100 percent, to 186,000 mt from 96,000 mt in 2020.

Urea

Black Sea, Brazil, China, Eastern Cornbelt, India, Indonesia, Market Watch, Middle East, Northeast, Northern Plains, U.S. Exports, U.S. Gulf, U.S. Imports, Urea, Western Cornbelt

U.S. Gulf:

Granular urea barges moved up early in the week to trade as high as $439/st FOB, but had retreated to $429/st by late Thursday. Still, overall prices were up from the week-ago $415-$432/st FOB. As the week progressed, sources said it was harder to find homes for new barges.

U.S. Imports:

May urea imports totaled 590,146 st, down 26.8 percent from the year-ago 806,123 st. Imports totaled 4.70 million st in the July-May period, however, a 2.1 percent year-over-year increase from 4.60 million st.

Qatar retained the top import spot for the fertilizer year-to-date with 1.24 million st, a 3.6 percent decrease from the year-ago 1.29 million st. Russia boasted 959,424 st for the period, rising 54 percent from the year-ago 623,152 st. Saudi Arabia sent 658,281 st to the U.S., up 13.9 percent on its the prior-year 577,894 st total.

U.S. Exports:

July-May urea exports totaled 721,131 st, up 22.1 percent from the year-ago 590,581 st. May exports totaled 38,462 st, falling 36.2 percent from 60,312 st in the prior year.

Eastern Cornbelt:

Urea pricing remained at a firm $475-$490/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low confirmed at East Dubuque and Ottawa, Ill., and the high at Cincinnati, Ohio.

Western Cornbelt:

The urea market slipped to $460-$480/st FOB in the Western Cornbelt, with the low confirmed at Port Neal, Iowa. The St. Louis, Mo., market was pegged in the $470-$480/st FOB range, with the last offers FOB Camanche, Iowa, reported at $475/st. Urea pricing FOB Catoosa/Inola, Okla., remained firmly at the $495-$500/st FOB level in early July.

Northern Plains:

The urea market was quoted at $470-$480/st FOB St. Paul, Minn., down slightly from the prior week. Delivered urea in North Dakota was also lower at $490-$500/st in early July, down from the last reported range of $500-$515/st.

Northeast:

The urea market remained at a firm $490/st FOB Fairless Hills, Pa., for July-August tons, with the East Liverpool, Ohio, market pegged at $485-$490/st FOB in early July.

India:

Despite four tenders so far this year, the country is still behind in the amount of urea it should have on hand. Initial estimates suggested India should have about 4.5 million mt from these tenders. Instead, so far only 2.7 million tons have been booked.

Sources said the combination of higher prices and limited supplies have kept the Indian buying houses from getting the necessary tonnage. The result is that more tenders will have to be called more frequently.

International traders said they expect to see another tender called as early as next week. After that, said one source, the market could see an Indian tender every three to four weeks for the rest of the year.

The appointment of a new minister for fertilizer could lead to a shakeup of authorized urea importers, said one international trader. Likewise, said another source, the leadership of some of the state-owned industries, such as MMTC and IFFCO, might also be realigned under the new national government leadership.

China:

Demand in the domestic urea market is waning as the season winds down. Sources said the export-equivalent price is now in the mid-$440s/mt FOB. The drop in the domestic price, said one trader, is more a result of the season ending than of government efforts to get lower prices for the farmers.

Seasonal demand usually takes a break in July and August, and then picks up in mid-September. Sources said regional distribution centers have plenty of stockpiled urea ready for September demand.

While the domestic price has gone down, sources said the actual export price is still strong.Granular urea for export is now being quoted at $490/mt FOB, but sources said there is no confirmation that any deals have been done at that level. International traders still peg the market in the mid-$470s/mt FOB for both prilled and granular urea.

One trader said the $490/mt FOB expectation of sellers could most likely happen in the next Indian tender. Sources said stockpiles at the export facilities are not very high, and many of the tons are already committed to servicing the most recently closed Indian tender.

If another tender is called soon, as is expected, sources said it will boost demand for product from China. The issue will be if there are enough tons available to cover the needs of the Indian buyers.

Black Sea:

Sources said at least a couple of cargoes from the Black Sea will be part of the awards issued in the RCF urea tender. That would put a netback to Yuzhnyy at $440-$450/mt FOB.

Middle East:

Supplies from the Arab urea producers remain limited. Sources said there are enough tons available to cover awards from the RCF/India tender, but not much more for any spot business.

Sources said the price remains at $505/mt FOB for now, based on the Indian business. Reports of material going at $510/mt FOB proved to be unfounded. Even so, producers continue to argue that $510/mt FOB is the new floor for any talks about new cargoes.

Egyptian producers have been busy this week. Abu Qir closed a tender on July 8 for 15,000 mt of prilled urea. When bids did not reach a level to the producer’s liking, the company scrapped the tender. Sources said Abu Qir did not reveal any of the prices submitted in the tender, nor what they considered to be their reserve price.

Separate from the tender, Abu Qir sold 30,000 mt of prilled urea for August shipment at $465/mt FOB. This price fits with the $475/mt FOB paid for granular product last week.

Prices are expected to remain firm out of Egypt. Sources said demand from Europe is expected to step up, as is regular demand from India in a series of tenders. There are also reports that an Alexfert plant is down for technical issues, with no word on how long the facility will be down.

The paper market in Egypt is reported at $477.50/mt FOB for July and August.

Indonesia:

Kaltim closed a tender on July 6 for 6,000-30,000 mt of granular urea. The producer wanted $490/mt FOB, but the highest bid came from Ameropa at $478.25/mt FOB.

Bidding Company US$/mt FOB
Ameropa 478.25
Liven 478.00
Samsung 467.00
Eurochem 460.00
Aries 455.17
Oracle 453.00

Because the highest bid did not reach the reserve price, Kaltim scrapped the tender and entered into private talks. In the end, Ameropa agreed to a price of $479/mt FOB for the full 30,000 mt. Sources said the most likely destination for the urea is Australia.

Brazil:

Urea prices moved up slightly in Paranagua, to $495-$520/mt CFR. Sources said the stronger market was in reaction to the general global situation, as well as to limited availability at the port. More material is slated to show up soon, according to shipping reports.

The price in Rondonopolis narrowed this week to $610-$625/mt FOB ex-warehouse, compared with last week’s range of $590-$700/mt FOB. The price shift was seen as part of a general consolidation of prices inland.

Buyers at a variety of locations within Brazil are reporting limited access to urea, with sales occurring on a case-by-case basis. At the same time, farmers are looking at barter rates that keep fluctuating, which creates uncertainty about how many tons to buy and how far forward to make those purchases.

Urea imports for the first half of the year were up 29 percent, to 3.5 million mt from 2.7 million mt during the same period last year, according to Trade Data Monitor. The main suppliers of urea so far this year are Qatar at 937,000 mt, Russia at 769,000 mt, Oman at 634,000 mt, Algeria at 366,000 mt, Nigeria at 226,000 mt, and Turkmenistan at 118,000 mt. Oman, which did not supply any urea in 2020, showed the largest ear-over-year growth

Imports in the second quarter were up almost 40 percent, to 1.5 million mt from 1.1 million mt in the 2020 second quarter. Oman led the way this year with 520,000 mt.

UAN

Belarus, Eastern Cornbelt, Market Watch, Northeast, Northern Plains, U.S. Exports, U.S. Gulf, U.S. Imports, UAN, Western Cornbelt

U.S. Gulf:

The last done NOLA barge trades continued to be quoted in the $270-$280/st ($8.44-$8.75/unit) FOB range. While price ideas were reported to be up on the paper market due to the recent CVD filing by CF, actual new physical business has not yet been concluded as the industry awaits news of a CF fill program, sources said.

Nutrien sold out of its fill product, which was at a $280/st FOB NOLA equivalent on July 1.

U.S. Imports:

May UAN imports totaled 304,070 st, falling 6.0 percent from 323,327 st in the prior year. July-May totals slipped 13.3 percent, to 2.40 million st from the year-ago 2.77 million st.

Russia topped July-May imports with 970,528 st, down 31.5 percent from the year-ago 1.42 million st. Trinidad and Tobago followed with 863,280 st, down 1.0 percent from the prior-year 872,052 st. Canada’s 395,239 st fell 3.5 percent from the year-ago 409,563 st.

U.S. Exports:

Exports of UAN softened 17.4 percent in July-May, to 678,026 st from the year-ago 820,657 st. May exports fell by 30.0 percent, to 69,852 st from the prior-year 99,849 st.

Eastern Cornbelt:

The UAN-32 market was unchanged at $337-$370/st ($10.53-$11.56/unit) FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low confirmed at Peru, Ill, and the high at Terre Haute, Ind. The market FOB Mount Vernon, Ind., remained at $350-$355/st ($10.94-$11.09/unit) in early July, with Cincinnati pricing reported in the $355-$360/st ($11.09-$11.25/unit) FOB range.

UAN-28 was pegged at $310-$315/st ($11.07-$11.25/unit) FOB Cincinnati in early July, unchanged from the prior week.

Western Cornbelt:

The UAN-32 market remained at $345-$355/st ($10.78-$11.09/unit) FOB in the Western Cornbelt, depending on location. Sources said the market has “a more bullish tone” since CF filed a June 30 antidumping petition against imports from Russia and Trinidad, however. While no fill program has yet been announced from CF, sources said they expect a limited offer sometime in July.

Northern Plains:

UAN-32 pricing remained at $370/st ($11.56/unit) FOB Winona, Minn., for the last reported offers. The UAN-28 market in North Dakota was reported at $360-$365/st ($12.86-$13.04/unit) FOB or DEL, down slightly from last report.

Northeast:

The UAN-32 market remained at $325/st ($10.16/unit) FOB Baltimore, Md. The last prices out of Fairless Hills were pegged at the $335/st ($10.47/unit) FOB level, but new offers were reportedly on hold in early July. UAN-32 pricing out of terminals in upstate New York had reportedly inched up to $390/st ($12.19/unit) FOB, up $15/st from mid-June.

Belarus:

An unscheduled shutdown of a nitric acid and UAN plant occurred at Grodno Azot on July 7, according to an ItarTass report, citing the company’s press service. Later that day, the Urea-3 unit also stopped, according to Belarusian pro-democracy and pro-human rights news site Charter 97. As of the morning of July 8, the Urea-3 unit was reportedly still idled.

Grodno Azot’s Ammonia-4 and Urea-4 units started a repair and maintenance shutdown in mid-June, which was expected to last 25 days (GM May 14, p. 5). The two units have suffered a number of unscheduled stoppages in recent months.

Ammonium Nitrate

Ammonium Nitrate, Asia, France, Market Watch, U.S. Exports, U.S. Imports, Western Cornbelt

U.S. Imports:

May ammonium nitrate imports were reported at 50,389 st, rising 42.6 percent from the prior-year 35,336 st. July-May import volumes totaled 310,437 st, 22.1 percent below the year-ago 398,411 st.

U.S. Exports:

May ammonium nitrate exports jumped 67.5 percent, to 78,356 st from the prior-year 46,766 st. Exports for the July-May period were up 58.8 percent, to 657,307 st from 413,952 st.

Western Cornbelt:

Ammonium nitrate pricing continued to be reported at the $425-$430/st FOB level in the Western Cornbelt for the last offers.

France:

Yara on July 9 posted a list price for September deliveries of its ammonium nitrate 33.5 percent (YaraBelaExtran33.5) in France, setting the new level at €380/mt bulk CPT, with immediate effect. The new price marks a €20/mt hike on the supplier’s posting for August deliveries, announced just over a fortnight ago (GM June 24, p. 9). Yara once again warned that only a limited volume will be available.

Turkmenistan:

State-run chemical complex Turkmenhimiya will buy 140,000 mt of ammonium nitrate from Uzbek company Uzkimyoimpeks, Interfax reported.

A directive permitting the Turkmen enterprise to reach the supply contract was signed by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on July 2 “in order to provide Turkmen agricultural producers with fertilizers.” The ammonium nitrate will be used for dressing fields under the 2021 cotton harvest, according to an Orient News report, citing Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Shamukhammet Durdylyev, who oversees Turkmenhimiya.