Grassland fertiliser market gets busy
By Roger Chesher
THE grassland market is busy at last but, apart from servicing the inevitable few farmers who want their fertiliser yesterday, the industry seems able to cope with deliveries.
The pattern is definitely one of just-in-time purchase and orders are only for that which is needed for immediate use.
This means that order sizes are very variable, some as small as a mere 1.5 tonnes, and the price is consequently higher for anything less than 20 tonnes, or for delivery in small bags or on a flat-bed.
In turn, this makes it difficult to decipher the underlying 20-tonne price quoted in our tables, which currently is much more subject to local variation than usual.
A “cashback” offer made direct to farmers by one of the majors has upset some distributors who saw it as undermining their customer base.
This scheme seems to have been withdrawn and is restricted to the south-west.
Consequently, the base price of NK grades has pulled back a little to 118-9 in the keenest areas, for large orders.
Otherwise, prices have not changed.
It now looks as though the nitrogen price will stay until July when a new season price is announced.
This price must be low enough to encourage early buying, but with the unexpected nitrogen price drop a few weeks ago, the differential may not look as attractive as planned.
The big question awaiting an answer is whether a forward price structure will be announced. The answer is dependent, to some extent, on the anticipated price of imports.
New-season nitrogen (SP5) 34.5% | Anticipated new-season (July) domestic nitrogen | Imported urea (if available) | Imported AN |
Blended 20.10.10 and 25.0.16 | Blended 25.5.5 | Liquid nitrogen, 37kg/100l or 29.6% N/t |
May 125 | July 110 | Granular 144 Prilled 132 | 118-120 ex-stock |
121 | 118 | 140 |
NPK | May, pay cash | July, imported N |
Complex 25.5.5 | 121 | 95-100 |
15.15.20 | 144 | |
20.10.10/29.5.5 | 124 | |
17.17.17 | 149 |
After-cut NK cash | 0.24.24 | TSP (47% P2O5) bagged | Muriate of Potash (60% K2O) bagged |
119-121 | 114-116 | 135-140 | 115-118 |
IRELAND CAN 24.6.12 0.16.36 Complex compounds
Forecast spring prices
Urea
27.6.6
Northern Ireland
Market over
122
148
No market
148
CAN | 24.21/2.10 | Urea, imported | 27.21/2.5 | |
Republic of Ireland* | 145-155 | 185 | 190 | 187 |
*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.
*Prices in the Republic are IR
Note All illustrated prices are based on 20-tonne loads for immediate payment. Prices for smaller loads and those with credit terms will vary considerably.
Source: Bridgewater Partnership
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