Ammonium sulphate: International market trend of ammonium sulphate in the third week of January 2019
Source: Zhongyu Information Date: 2019-1-18 17:04:32
1.10-1.17 International Market Trends (from foreign sources)
Black Sea / Baltic: At the end of February, the shipment of ammonium sulphate 3000-5000 tons at a price of 150 US dollars / ton fob, the market buying interest is lower, the negotiated price is 140-145 US dollars / ton FOB. Kuibyshevazot has sold 3,000 tons of standard ammonium sulphate this week and will ship from Novosibirsk in February, with a FOB price of $140/ton. In the Baltic Sea, buyers are still very few, the last quote was $140-143/ton fob. Schekinoazot is not currently exporting. In January of this year, Phosagro’s plant in Cherepovets sold 6,000 tons of standard ammonium sulphate for 9600 / ton ($144 / ton fob). Extrusion of granular ammonium sulfate is sold to the domestic market. Schekinoazot may sell all products to the domestic market from February to April.
Ukraine: Depending on the mode of production, the price of ammonium sulphate in Ukraine is 7600 to 8000 HRN/ton ($271-285/ton), and Ukrainian products are imported through distributors Belarus and Poland. Standard ammonium sulphate from Poland is sold at a price of between 6,500 and 6,600 Dutch krona per ton from a railway station close to the border.
Lithuania: According to GTT data, Lithuania imported 259,603 tons from January to November 2018, slightly higher than the 248,606 tons in the 11th month of 2017. Imports from these three major suppliers show that imports of ammonium sulfate from China have increased, while supplies from Russia and Belarus have decreased. The main imports are as follows (the previous year in brackets): 74,561 tons (35,707 tons) in China, 55,460 tons (64,508 tons) in Russia, and 51,176 tons (67519 tons) in Belarus.
North-West Europe: European buyers are beginning to return to the market, although this is a traditional off-season in the year, but progress is slow. The seller said: the current demand for NPK fertilizer is very low, until the demand will increase in March. The standard grade ammonium sulfate price is €120 – 125 / t fob. The price of exports to Brazil is $120/ton fob.
OCI’s standard ammonium sulfate price is $135/tonne, which is equivalent to about $120/ton offshore price. The two specifications of pellets 2mm and 3mm have been sold out in January and February, and the next transaction is in March. The 2mm pellet grade price is 190 – 195 EUR / ton and 180 Euro / ton fob. The Belgian producer LANXESS’s production of ammonium sulphate at the 1.1 million ton Antwerp plant at the end of last year has declined, resulting in some delays in contract delivery in January and early February.
Spain: It is reported that the price of 5,000 tons of standard grade ammonium sulphate is at a high of $130/ton.
Turkey: With the approach of spring, Turkey began to inquire about standard grade ammonium sulphate this week. Toros is looking for orders for 15-20000 tons for shipments in February, and another buyer is also inquiring. The last transaction price was $150/ton mid-high fob. Turkish buyer bids were down by about $10/ton. Given that China’s FOB price is around $115 per ton, this would mean that the CIF price is basically $140/ton cfr.
China: The price of caprolactam-grade ammonium sulfate is lower at $115-117/ton this week. However, Brazil’s demand is over and the next offshore price of goods that may be shipped to Turkey is even lower, at $112-114/tonne.
Brazil: The price of products imported from China is still 185-195 US dollars / ton cfr, and the sales price in Europe is 205 US dollars / ton cfr, because there are still some demand for immediate shipment in Europe or the United States. If successful, these Arrived in February, no later than mid-March. Brazil’s standard price is between 140-150 US dollars / ton cfr, the low end is China, and the high end is Europe.
As of the beginning of February, the nine freighters of ammonium sulphate were loaded with 286,000 tons of ammonium sulphate and will enter the Brazilian port. With the exception of two shipments from Belgium, all ammonium sulphate comes from China. Brazil’s ammonium sulphate imports increased by 22%, from 2018 to 2.32 million tons, and in 2017 it was 1.9 million tons. China remains the main supplier, accounting for 60% of imports, up from 38% in 2017. China exported 1.4 million tons of ammonium sulphate to Brazil in 2018, up from 720,560 tons in 2017.
At the same time, the market share of major European producers was lost to Chinese competitors. In 2018, imports from Belgium, Brazil’s second largest supplier, fell by 21% to 337,335 tons. Similarly, imports from the Netherlands have also fallen by 22% to 126,462 tons. US imports fell by more than half to 192,791 tons in 2018, compared with 392,092 tons in the previous year. Polish ammonium sulphate imports fell only 5% to 111,849 tons, while Lithuanian imports jumped 71% to 58,005 tons. Spain’s shipments also rose against the trend, rising from 1,697 tons a year ago to 45,275 tons, and Russia’s imports also rose from 16,848 tons to 39,237 tons.
Mexico: Mexican buyers are expected to re-enter the market soon. According to GTT data, Mexico imported 351,050 tons of ammonium sulphate from January to October 2018, an increase of about one-third from 265,985 tons in the first 10 months of 2017. South Korea’s imports increased by 10,000 tons to 153,723 tons, while Belgium’s imports increased by 7% to 123,228 tons. There is also a 32,000-tonne cargo from Russia and a 22,000-tonne cargo from the Netherlands, both of which left Mexico in the first 10 months of 2017.
US/Canada: Fibrant plans to ship two shipments to the US/Canada in March and April.
