Global tensions are creating new uncertainty in fertilizer markets. The Fertilizer Institute’s President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch says disruptions tied to the Middle East are already impacting global pricing and availability. “You’ve got sulfur, which is really constrained behind the Strait of Hormuz, that’s now being purchased above $1,000 a ton by Chinese companies, and we’re trading at a discount there. You’re about $100 a ton less on urea than what you see in Brazil. So urea has really been impacted by what’s going on in the Middle East.” Rosenbusch says the bigger concern is long-term supply, especially with production disruptions in key regions. “We know that most of them have stopped production. And I think the concern long-term is what’s the timeframe to get those production plants up and running, with 40 percent of our traded urea coming from the Middle East, we could be seeing a long-term impact going into future crop seasons.”
