Fertilizers articles

VIDEO – ICIS Americas Lunchtime Bulletin 3 February 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Here is the lunchtime bulletin for the Americas on Friday from ICIS. The Lunchtime Bulletin brings you all the latest chemicals and market news and pricing trends three times a day from the ICIS editorial centres in Singapore, London and Houston.

VIDEO – ICIS Americas Lunchtime Bulletin 3 February 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:00:00 GMT

US chemical site security enforcement is foundering - Congress

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:59:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (ICIS)--Enforcement of the four-year-old federal antiterrorism security mandate for US chemical plants is behind schedule, inadequately staffed and hindered by a range of administrative problems, a congressional panel said on Friday. Representative John Shimkus (Republican-Illinois), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, told a hearing that his confidence “is not strong” in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its ability to ensure security at the nation’s chemical facilities. Shimkus said he was surprised and disappointed to learn that the department’s implementation of the 2007 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) is fraught with delays and a dozen or more administrative and staffing problems.

German chem industry warns against Eurostat reporting changes

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:35:00 GMT

LONDON (ICIS)--A German chemical trade group is worried that possible changes to the reporting of Eurostat’s data could lead to significant losses of information for chemical producers, it said on Friday. Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union tasked with providing statistics at a European level that enable comparisons between countries and regions. Frankfurt-based VCI said the changes to trade data may – in a worst case scenario – lead to the complete elimination of the monthly intra-EU trade data. “This would result in an enormous loss of information about the most important market for Germany’s chemical industry,” VCI said in a report t

Cold snap could undermine European phosphate demand

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:58:00 GMT

LONDON (ICIS)--The blast of severe cold weather that has swept across Europe could stall a slowly emerging demand for diammonium phosphate (DAP) and undermine prices, market sources said on Friday. Traders and buyers have voiced concerns that the DAP market, which has been slow to take off in Europe because of economic uncertainty, could come under pressure with plummeting temperatures closing ports and disrupting road and rail links. “The cold spell has hit Germany, Italy and the UK with temperatures down to minus 11°C [23.8°F],” said one trader. “The severe weather is forecast until the end of next week but the first application of nitrogen fertilizers is due mid-February. This could be delayed for three weeks, which could stall the demand for DAP,” the trader said. The mild weather at the beginning of the year had prompted a surge in buying of nitrogen and DAP fertilizers, with the first application looking set for mid-February. The main app

Mideast, India ammonia prices fall on weak demand, high stocks

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:00 GMT

LONDON (ICIS)--Middle East and Indian ammonia prices plummeted this week following latest spot business on the back of current weak demand and high stock levels, which in turn is putting pressure on Yuzhny price levels, market sources said on Friday. Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO) purchased a 15,000-tonne Saudi ammonia cargo this week at $377.50/tonne (€287/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) for mid-February delivery. This price was around $90/tonne lower than business concluded in India last week at $460-465/tonne CFR. Indian ammonia demand is currently weak because first-quarter pho

Morocco’s OCP wins largest slice of Ethiopian DAP tender

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:31:00 GMT

LONDON (ICIS)--Moroccan fertilizer producer Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP) could see some relief from weak demand on the horizon after emerging as the biggest winner of Ethiopia’s sizeable tender for diammonium phosphate (DAP), market sources said on Friday. The Ethiopian government awarded OCP almost half the 232,000 tonnes of DAP requested in the tender, requesting the Moroccan producer deliver two 50,000-tonne lots and one 10,000-tonne lot during the second quarter of 2012. OCP backed two offers submitted by trader Yara, winning the first 50,000-tonne cargo priced at $644/tonne (€489/tonne) CFR (cost and freight) and due to load early April. The second cargo, offered at $649/tonne CFR, is likely to be shipped later that month, with the final 10,000 tonnes due to load in June. Saudi Arabia's

India sulphur prices down 2% on PPL purchase tender award

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:49:00 GMT

LONDON (ICIS)--Indian sulphur spot prices fell by another $4/tonne (€5/tonne) after Paradeep Phosphates Ltd (PPL) awarded its 27 January purchase tender, a trader source said on Friday. PPL has made an award to Dubai-based trader, Swiss Singapore, at close to $182/tonne CFR (cost and freight) under the tender, according to a trader source. This price is down 2% from the previous Indian spot business, concluded at $186/tonne CFR earlier in January. Indian sulphur prices are declining due to a weak global demand outlook for phosphate fertilizers in the first quarter. As a result, feedstock sulphur demand in India and other major import markets, including China and Morocco, has been low. Swiss Singapore is due to deliver 35,000 tonnes of granular sulphur to Cochin between 1 March and 4 March. The tender award nets back to the $

China’s fertilizer output to rise by 4.4% in 2015

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:05:19 GMT

SINGAPORE (ICIS)—China is targeting its fertilizer output to reach 69.1m tonnes in 2015, up by 2.9m or 4.4% from 2010, according to a report by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday. The country is targeting higher output over the next few years to secure its agricultural development since 90% of the country’s fertilizer is used in this sector, the ministry said. China’s fertilizer output grew at an annual rate of 5.0% during the 11th Five Year period, the MITT said. China’s fertilizer capacity is targeted to reach 77.6m tonnes/year in 2015, according to the MIIT. The country’s urea capacity is expected to reach 36m tonnes/year in 2015, while its nitrogen fertilizer capacity will reach 51.1m tonnes/year in 2015.