Nutrien Ltd., Saskatoon, announced Nov. 25 that it will be forced to curtail production at its largest potash mine, Rocanville, due to the CN rail strike. Employee notices were sent out Nov. 25 indicating the mine will be shut down for two weeks starting on Dec. 2.
All posts by Steve Seay
Tampa NH3 Price Retreats
The Tampa price for December ammonia has been reported at $250/mt CFR, down $10/mt from November’s $260/mt CFR.
Petrobras Inks Nitrogen Plant Leases
Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has announced that it has leased its idled Bahia (Fafen-BA) and Sergipe (Fafen-SE) nitrogen plants to Brazil’s Proquigel Química SA, a unit of Unigel Group, a major petrochemical and fertilizer producer, which is Brazil’s largest ammonium sulfate producer. Petrobras said the leases will become effective upon approval by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) and the issuing of mandatory operation permits for Proquigel Química.
Wilbur-Ellis Acquires Nachurs Alpine Solutions
Wilbur-Ellis, San Francisco, on Nov. 20 announced the acquisition of Nachurs Alpine Solutions® (NAS), Marion, Ohio, a specialty liquid chemical manufacturer serving the precision agriculture, transportation, energy, and diversified industrial sectors in North America. NAS is the largest acquisition in Wilbur-Ellis’ history.
CN Rail Strike Begins
About 3,200 workers at Canadian National Railway Co. went on strike at midnight Tuesday, threatening to crimp shipments of oil, potash and grain across the country, according to Bloomberg. Conductors and yard operators at Canada’s largest railway walked off the job after failing to reach an agreement with the company over issues including working conditions and drug benefits, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union said.
Ameropa Names New CEO
Swiss agriculture firm Ameropa AG named Bunge Ltd.’s William Dujardin as its new CEO, effective Jan. 8. He had been with Bunge since 2005, most recently serving as Vice President for North and Central Europe, and also worked for seven years at Louis Dreyfus Co.
The move means Andreas Zivy will return to his position as Chairman of the Swiss company. Zivy, a third-generation member of the firm’s founding family, has led the merchant since the departure of Jan Kadanik earlier this year.
Zuari Inks MOU with OCP
India’s Zuari Agro Chemicals Ltd. reports that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Morocco’s OCP SA in which OCP will make a strategic investment in Zuari’s wholly-owned Zuari FarmHub Ltd. (ZFHL). The terms and conditions of the proposed strategic investment by OCP in ZHFL, whether primary and/or secondary, will be discussed and finalized over the next few months between Zuari and OCP.
ZFHL will be taking over Zuari’s existing Retail, Specialty Nutrients, Crop Care, Seeds activities, as well as the manufacturing operations of Baramati Specialty Nutrients plant, and will also be spearheading the company’s plans to set up Hubs across the country.
RCF Releases Low Prices
Only the lowest prices in the RCF urea tender were released this morning. Dreymoor has the lowest offers for West Coast delivery at $248.48/mt CFR and East Coast delivery at $251.37/mt CFR.
The prices are not as low as many in the industry expected. At the same time, rumors are now circulating that the Department of Fertilizers may limit the RCF purchase to no more than 500,000 mt. If that plays out, sources said the urea market will face further downward price pressures.
RCF Urea Tender Draws Attention
Sixteen companies, including three Arab Gulf producers, offered 3.1 million tons of urea in the RCF tender that closed Nov. 14. Prices are not expected to be released until Friday or Monday. Industry sources are speculating prices will go into the $240s/mt CFR for a drop of about $20/mt since the last tender.
Yara Closes NH3 Plant
Yara International ASA, Oslo, on Nov. 13 reported the closure of its wholly-owned ammonia plant in Point Lisas, Trinidad. The Yara Trinidad plant is one of three ammonia plants operated by Yara Trinidad Ltd. The remaining two plants, Tringen I and Tringen II, are jointly owned by Yara International ASA and National Enterprises Ltd (NEL).
The Trinidad plant is one of Yara’s smallest ammonia plants, with an annual production capacity of approximately 270,000 mt/y. In addition to small scale, the plant has a lower energy efficiency than Yara’s average.