Fertiliser Market Update
There has been a sharp rise in the gas price in the UK and Europe.
The Russian-owned Gazprom had declared force majeure on supplies to several European buyers and has closed its main pipeline for maintenance!
With further threats from Russia to cut further supplies, we are likely to see further hikes in gas prices into quarter four.
Natural gas accounts for approximately 80% of the production cost of European nitrogen fertiliser. This has led to a £100/t jump in Ammonium Nitrate prices in recent weeks.
Granular Urea and Limus® protected Urea is an excellent alternative to ammonium nitrate offering a significant cost saving of £/kg of N.
Whilst Nitrogen Sulphurs are in short supply in the UK, Bartholomews can offer ammonium nitrate based 27N + 12SO3 compound & ASN 26N + 37SO3 compounds at a discount to current replacement vales (subject to availability). Urea based Sulphur blends are available protected and unprotected with Polysulphate or ammonium sulphate.
Potash & Phosphate markets remain firm. More growers are utilising the ICL range of PotashpluS 37K+8CaO+3MgO+23SO3 & Polysulphate 14K+17CaO+6MgO+48SO3 as a proven agronomic multi-nutrient fertiliser over the traditional grades.
Limus®, a urease inhibitor developed and patented by BASF, has been developed using the latest research and technology. It is one of the most effective urease inhibitor worldwide both in terms of its active ingredient efficacy and formulation stability. What sets Limus® apart is the combination of its two active ingredients, which complement and strengthen each other synergistically. A patented new formulation enables efficient application and offers more flexibility with regard to storage, mixing with urea-based fertilizers and fertilizer application. Proven to reduce nitrogen loss by as much as 98 percent.
