Farm fertiliser prices steady as spring peak approaches

Fertiliser prices are relatively steady and supplies ample.

Some recent urea offers looking for quick delivery to farm have put pressure on prices in some areas.

However, traders continue to warn of the delivery risk of leaving things much longer, especially for those growers who have yet to take delivery of any spring nitrogen.

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The weakening of the pound against both the euro and the dollar has slightly raised the cost of some imported product in the past week or so, although these are largely trading in a narrower and slightly lower range than in early January.

UK ammonium nitrate is at £220-£225/t delivered to farm in February for March payment, still competitive with imports.

Estimates vary as high as 35% in terms of how much is still to be ordered in arable areas.

“The spring NPK market has not even started. Western buyers have not even thought about it yet,” said Calum Findlay, Gleadell’s national fertiliser manager.

At Openfield, national fertiliser business manager Graham Colledge said while there was no shortage of product, suppliers were likely to try to firm prices over the next few weeks. “It is their busy season – they won’t want to do it for nothing,” he said.

However traders expect a very competitive opening to the new nitrogen season late May/early June.