U.S. Gulf: The NOLA granular potash market remained under pressure last week, with more sources predicting that a new deal may soon come below the last done $305/st FOB point.
Eastern Cornbelt: Potash fill remained at $345-$355/st FOB for red and $362/st FOB for white granular tons in the Eastern Cornbelt. Rail-DEL potash fill was quoted at $360-$367/st in the region.
Western Cornbelt: Sources reported the potash fill market at $350-$362/st FOB out of warehouses in the Western Cornbelt, with the low for red and the upper end for white granular tons. Rail-delivered fill tons were steady at $360-$367/st.
California: The California potash market was quoted at $472-$480/st FOB warehouses in California, with rail-delivered potash pegged at $485-$495/st in the state, depending on grade and location.
Crystalline potassium nitrate was unchanged at $950/st FOB for bulk and $1,020/st FOB for bags in the state.
Sulfate of potash (SOP) remained at $722-$735/st FOB in California.
Pacific Northwest: Potash fill remained at $410-$420/st FOB in the Pacific Northwest, depending on grade and location, with rail-delivered tons quoted at $415-$425/st. The potash market FOB Utah mines was steady at $370/st FOB for 60 percent standard and $375/st FOB for 60 percent granular, reflecting Intrepid’s July 1 reference prices at Moab and Wendover.
The sulfate of potash (SOP) market remained at $727-$737/st FOB in the Pacific Northwest, down $10/st from last report.
SOP Magnesia was quoted at $481-$505/st FOB in the region.
Western Canada: Potash was quoted at $470-$480/mt FOB inland warehouses in Western Canada, with the Saskatchewan mine price reported at $445-$450/mt FOB to Canadian customers.
Northwestern Europe: Demand for both potassium chloride and potassium sulfate remains seasonally slow. The small amount of granular potassium chloride business being done is heard priced in the €305-€310/mt CIF range.
Belgium: Tessenderlo Group expects to have its new calcium chloride unit on stream at its Ham production site in October. The new plant will process part of the hydrochloric acid from the sulfate plant into calcium chloride. Through providing an outlet for the by-product hydrochloric acid at the site, it will allow Tessenderlo to boost its potassium sulfate production at Ham. However, a spokesperson for the company declined to comment on how much additional potassium sulfate could be produced.
Tessenderlo does not comment on its production capacity, but Green Markets estimates the combined potential production capacity for potassium sulfate at the company’s Ham and Loos sites at 0.9 million mt/year.
Tessenderlo announced last September that it would build the new unit as part of a long-term agreement for the production and marketing of calcium chloride signed with Tetra Chemicals Europe AB (GM Sept. 25, 2014). Tessenderlo owns the unit, and Tetra will market the product.
India: National Fertilizers Ltd. (NFL) has issued a tender for the import of 50,000 mt of pink potash (+/-5 percent) for delivery in the second half of October. The tender closes on Aug. 21 and calls for delivery in two 25,000 mt lots to Kandla or Mundra and to Gangavaram. NFL last month scrapped a tender it had issued in April for the same quantity of potash.
Southeast Asia: The region’s markets remain seasonally quiet. Belarus Potash Company (BPC) reports that despite the devaluation of national currencies in many Southeast Asian countries, it is targeting prices of $335-$350/mt CFR for potash throughout the region. Canpotex earlier this month announced new price