Washington, D.C.-The National Association of Wheat Growers has joined with the Agricultural Retailers Association and others to emphasize to the U.S. Department of Commerce that reasonably-priced solid ammonium nitrate from Russia is necessary to meet current U.S. demand. Their Aug. 28 letter to DOC supports advancing the negotiation process for removing Cold War-era trade restrictions that remain in place against Russian fertilizer products, despite the fact that many domestic manufacturers and distributors have ceased production and sales of ammonium nitrate for liability and safety reasons. The letter pointed out that U.S. ammonium nitrate demand has fallen to the level of domestic production because of the large price discrepancy between domestic and imported ammonium nitrate. As a result, in periods of high ammonium nitrate demand in the U.S., American agricultural retailers, distributors, and farmers must pay a higher price for the product. “Since there are few ammonium nitrate production capacities outside the United States, it is important that additional supply options are available for American farmers. Given the changing dynamics in the U.S. marketplace, the current restrictions on imports of Russian ammonium nitrate fertilizer no longer make sense.” Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of ammonium nitrate, a key fertilizer for many crops. The letter was part of continued efforts by these groups to get restrictions against Russian fertilizer products eased, which they say would help stabilize or lower prices for farmers. Signatories to the letter also included the Northwest Horticultural Council, with other supporting organizations sending similar letters under separate cover.
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