Low inventories have granted potash and phosphate producers plenty of reasons to hike prices, and purchasers have been bearing these increases, fearing that if they don’t agree to contracts in a timely manner they may miss out on securing supplies.
Potash prices were on the upswing in the latter half of 2010, and have amplified this trend so far in 2011, buoyed by strength in the grain markets.
Despite uncertainty over the stability of the global economic recovery, the fertilizer market is holding up very well, and will be buoyed over the coming years by supply shortages.
The recent earnings season was record-setting for many fertilizer producers, and despite a shaky global economy analysts expect that high-profits will continue into the foreseeable future.
Knowing very well that economic troubles may lie ahead, executives of major fertilizer companies have stood firm in claiming that their industry is well-positioned to withstand a bumpy ride, and claim that it will take a “severe and prolonged” global recession to crimp fertilizer demand.
Canpotex and India have finally come to a six-month deal in which India will pay, at least at the onset, $470 per tonne including freight, for potash, approximately the same rate that China is paying.
The StarPhoenix reported that Potash Corp's (NYSE:POT) chief executive is now the new president of the International Fertilizer Industry Association.
Rumours are spreading that a state-owned Chinese company may come forward with a purchase offer for Belarus’ prized asset, potash miner Belaruskali.
Potash mining, like any business, is faced with scrutiny and controversy which range from environmental to political and financial concerns.
Canpotex will supply China with 630,000 tonnes of the crop nutrient in the second half of 2011 at $470 per tonne, a 17.5 percent increase compared to the contract pricing agreed upon for the first half.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011