FERTILISER SPREADERS have at last been seen at work on grassland, albeit still in very small numbers.

But despite the onset of fertilising, spring sales are still not underway in any volume, either in Britain or in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Lulled into thinking that the market is about to start, some (limited) tempting nitrogen offers have been made at merchant level.

But these are not supported by the manufacturers who still have a weather eye on the cost of gas, which stood recently at $6.80 MMBtu, or 36p per therm.

Following forecasts for a cold weekend, gas leapt to 70p/therm on Mar 10 – an unsustainable price in an industry where 45p/therm is considered very costly.

While there are big distortions in this volatile energy market, sudden peaks in raw material costs illustrate why fertiliser prices are highly unlikely to fall.

Energy pricing will continue to be a major driver for fertiliser costs for the next two years.

However, the industry is always changing and a new driver has started to emerge.

On the global stage, China is reported to be on the brink of approving GMO technology for the production of a new green rice, which has a significantly lower need for fertiliser than conventional cultivars.

In a country the size of China, a development that reduces urea consumption could have a significant impact, especially as similar work is underway on wheat and cotton.

CURRENT PRICES (£/t)

Great Britain

Straight
Domestic N (34.5%N) SP5	Mar £155
Imported AN Lithuanian	£140 where available
Imported urea	£175 granular £165 prills
Liquid UAN 37kg/100litres (29.6%N/t)	£142
TSP (47%P2O5)	£152
Muriate of Potash(60%K2O)	£136

 

Compound
	Complex Jan (+£3 for March)	Blended
25.5.5	£157	From £148
15.15.20	£170.50
20.10.10 / 27.5.5	£161	£151
17.17.17	£175.50
0.24.24		£126-135
27.6.6 (imported)
32.5.0 (imported)

 

Trace elements

Copper, zinc, selenium, cobalt Iodine and sodium £11.10/acre pack

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Ireland

	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland†
Urea	£200 (existing stocks only)	€270-280 (dependant on source and quality)
CAN	£150	€220 large variations
24.6.12 aftercut*	£175-180 (anticipated)	€240-250+
25.5.5	£165-175
27.6.6 complex**	£175-180	€243-250+ (CCF) €240 import blend

†Note in the Republic of Ireland nutrients are expressed as elements not oxides.  Analyses will not be directly comparable with those used in the UK.
*Known as 24.2½.10 blend in the Republic of Ireland
**Known as 27.2½.5 in ROI

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Note All illustrated prices are based upon 24 tonne loads for immediate payment. Prices for smaller loads and those with credit terms will vary considerably.

Source: Bridgewater