Nutrien Ltd. will build four blending facilities in Brazil that will more than double its capacity in the nation, according to Bloomberg. Operations at the new plants will begin in 2023, according to Roberto Carlos Oliveira, Nutrien’s Head of Fertilizer for Latin America, in an interview. The firm is also boosting capacity at four other plants it already owns in Brazil.
The investment is part of the company’s expansion plan for Brazil, which is the world’s fourth-largest fertilizer consumer. The plants will be located in Cerrado and Southeast regions – close to farms, as opposed to competing suppliers who are based near ports, according to Oliveira. The proximity to farms has helped to prevent delivery delays, he said. Nutrien imports roughly 90 percent of the crop nutrients it sells locally.
Of the four existing blending plants, three are in the state of Goiás at Cristalina, Morrinhos, and Jataí, with one in Araxa, in the state of Minas Gerais (GM Jan. 31, 2020).
Nutrien delivered a record 1 million mt of fertilizer in Latin America so far this year, heading for 1.2 million mt total in 2021. In Brazil, the company expects a 40 percent increase this year, Oliveira said.
Nutrien just recently announced the launch of five new Experience Centers in Brazil, with seven more planned for later this year (GM Nov. 12, p. 1). In addition to the Experience Centers, the company has 42 retail branches in Brazil, 48 in Argentina, 12 in Chile, and six in Uruguay.