Proposed Duties Could Complicate Spring Fertilizer Price Problem for Farmers

It’s no secret crop fertilizer prices have skyrocketed in recent months along with grain prices. The recent confirmation of duties on fertilizer from Morocco and Russia have U.S. trade officials talking countervailing duties to make up for at least some of the price spike one major U.S. fertilizer retailer said are unfair. A months-long investigation revealed duties as high as 47% on prices from major exporters; industry leaders say any new duties could raise prices for things like phosphate fertilizers by around $80/ton, and with more duties, only around 15% of the global phosphate market will be available tariff-free to U.S. companies and farmers. One Moroccan fertilizer exporter said the potential countervailing duties are without base, but company leaders say they’ll continue working toward a solution to continue to supply U.S. farmers. The U.S. imports just over $1 billion in phosphate fertilizers annually from Morocco and Russia. See more on the fertilizer duty situation.