Nutrien Ltd., Saskatoon, is looking at ramping up production of its time-release “smart” nitrogen product, President and CEO Chuck Magro told Bloomberg in an interview this week. Speaking about the company’s ESN Smart Nitrogen, slow release fertilizer, he said, “We’re basically selling everything we can produce. We’re now looking at capacity expansion in this area because of future demand.”
Nutrien has the capacity to produce 400,000 mt of ESN, a product that currently accounts for about 2 percent of total fertilizer sales for the company. Magro sees more demand from farmers for the smart fertilizer during a period of heightened environmental awareness around agricultural practices. Governments and companies are looking to farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, in turn, growers are increasingly seeking ways to curb waste.
Government policies and incentives are expected to drive more sustainable farming practices, which should lift demand for these more “climate friendly” products, Magro said.