Now urea is in short supply

By Roger Chesher

IMPORTED ammonium nitrate is once more available, but granular urea remains hard to come by.

Unless otherwise stated, comments about availability in this commentary apply to new material.

Stores of older cargoes, although grossly depleted, do exist, especially in the East.

Current high prices of domestic material have prompted merchants to raise prices of stored imports by some 3/t but, fortunately for the farmer, some have not yet risen to the customary position of about 10/t behind UK product.

Cargoes of eastern European AN are reported in the East at around 90 bagged on-farm, whereas better-quality Lithuanian AN is priced around 95 on-farm.

Volume sales have slowed this week.

Arable buyers need little at present and, with the first dressings complete in the grassland sector, there is a lull before the second-cut market starts in the south-west.

This is probably just as well, because stocks are reported to be low.

For these reasons, the volume of nitrogen actually sold at the new higher prices is modest, but the pricing will take maximum effect when farmers seek to buy silage fertiliser for second cut.

We will have to wait a little longer to hear the new arrangements for the ownership of Kemira Agro UK, with announcements now delayed until May.

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