Nitrogen
Overview
The ease of urea availability east and west of Suez has shaped the current trade flows of this key nitrogen fertilizer. Despite challenges posed by energy prices and military conflicts, key import markets such as India, Australia, and Latin America remain robust. But structural oversupply and the role of China as a swing exporter have led to price volatility as this fast-moving market seeks equilibrium, more so during seasonally high-demand periods.
Our extensive nitrogen coverage includes prilled and granular urea, UAN, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulphate. Argus has many decades of experience covering the nitrogen market and incorporates our multi-commodity market expertise in key areas including ammonia and natural gas to provide the full market narrative.
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Latest nitrogen news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global nitrogen industry.
Urea market takes cautious look at US-Iran ceasefire
Urea market takes cautious look at US-Iran ceasefire
Amsterdam, 8 April (Argus) — The reaction in the physical urea markets to the two-week US-Iran ceasefire has been muted so far, but downwards pressure is building, with US urea futures trading down by more than 6pc earlier today . Some traders have portrayed the last-minute deal as "fragile" but also acknowledge that buyers will be looking to pressure prices down after five weeks of soaring levels. Traders appear to be taking a cautious approach while the market determines exactly how much urea has been lost since the hostilities began on 28 February, and how quickly affected plants and Middle East exports can resume in earnest. The global markets are still short despite demand destruction in almost all markets apart from India, according to one veteran trader, and only the resumption of Chinese exports can bring the market back to a "comfort zone". The urea market has seen more than 2mn t of production cut, Argus estimates, while there are vessels carrying around 1mn t of urea in the Mideast Gulf, Kpler data show. The final figure floating in the Gulf could be higher should vessels have disabled their automatic identification systems. None of those vessels have traversed the strait of Hormuz so far on 8 April, according to Kpler. Argus estimates conservatively that at least 2.3mn t of urea production has been cut since the war began, with major outages in India, Iran, Bangladesh, Qatar and Russia. By Harry Minihan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Malaysia's Petronas takes Bintulu urea plant offline
Malaysia's Petronas takes Bintulu urea plant offline
Singapore, 6 April (Argus) — Malaysian state-owned fertilizer producer Petronas has taken its 700,000 t/yr Bintulu urea plant offline, because of an unplanned shutdown caused by technical issues, the firm said today. The plant is expected to restart by the end of this week or early next week, although the producer is still assessing the situation. The outage is likely to remove around 2,000 t/d of urea output. Petronas had planned a 45-day turnaround at the Bintulu plant in April-May, but the scheduled maintenance may be delayed as a result of the unplanned shutdown. By Dinise Chng Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia turns to less-established urea origins
Australia turns to less-established urea origins
London, 2 April (Argus) — Australia's urea importers are being forced to look to less-established sources as the strait of Hormuz closure cuts off access to their dominant supply region — with no clarity on when normal flows will resume. In recent weeks, importers have begun looking to Egypt and Nigeria. But neither of these origins has been regularly and consistently cleared under Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) biosecurity standards, Argus understands. There are four AQIS levels. The lowest, for unapproved origins, is level 3, which triggers a full inspection — a challenging prospect for importers already facing tight supply. Nigeria's Indorama is understood to be cleared at level 2, but no Nigerian urea has been imported by Australia, or confirmed so far, according to trade data. The Middle East typically supplies almost two-thirds of Australia's annual urea imports, while most of the remainder comes from southeast Asia. Mideast Gulf urea commitments to India — with at least 300,000t booked in a tender waiting to pass Hormuz, and an increasing likelihood of another tender — are also likely to wipe out any near-term availability should the strait reopen. There is enough urea in Australia to cover winter crop pre-seeding application, but more imports are needed for topdressing from June, according to market participants. Around 510,000t of urea has been delivered to Australia this year. And about 215,000t is currently in transit to Australia across eight vessels, tracking data from Kpler show. Calls to ease import barriers AQIS rules are expected to be a focus for importers seeking government support, particularly more flexibility around level 3, which adds costs and delays receipts. Fertilizer Australia is also urging the government to ease restrictions on Russian imports. Russian fertilizers lack accreditation from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and cannot currently be imported. The government plans to amend policies to provide guarantees, extend loans and undertake other arrangements to secure imports. While these initiatives are primarily aimed at fuel, fertilizer buyers should be able to benefit too. AQIS barrier AQIS is a major obstacle to sourcing urea from less-established origins, especially as inspections are required for both supply chain and vessel. AQIS assigns a level only to the entire supply chain from plant to vessel, not to individual components such as warehouses, trucks or belts. The vessel is assessed separately. If any element of either the supply chain or vessel is graded level 3, the entire shipment defaults to level 3, and this rule also applies to combined cargoes of multiple products or origins. The AQIS system has four levels. Gold carries no checks and is awarded only to supply chains that have consistently performed at level 1. Level 1 involves random checks primarily at berth. Level 2 requires more extensive inspection at unloading and in warehouses. And level 3 requires full inspection and isolation of the product. Vessel classifications are handled separately through the AFF1 and AFF2 system, with AFF1 the higher standard. Direct plant-to-vessel loading is the easiest configuration to certify, while mixed-use port facilities, uncovered conveyor belts and non-dedicated trucking routes pose the greatest risk of triggering a level 3 designation. For importers exploring new origins, the risk is significant because level 1 cannot be guaranteed after inspection. But securing alternative tonnes could be essential for normal wheat and barley topdressing in June–July. By Dana Hjeij Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India’s RCF delays urea tender load date to 30 April
India’s RCF delays urea tender load date to 30 April
Amsterdam, 1 April (Argus) — Indian importer and supplier RCF has delayed the latest loading date under its 18 February urea tender to 30 April from 31 March, citing a supply crunch caused by the Middle East war. Suppliers are still to nominate five vessels to carry a combined 217,000t of urea under the tender, which saw RCF award around 1.3mn t, according to the latest list seen by Argus . Seven nominated vessels carrying just over 300,000t are stuck behind the strait of Hormuz — three from Qatar, three from Saudi Arabia and one from Bahrain. The outstanding nominations and stranded vessels mean about 520,000t has yet to be shipped to RCF. Oman is the only country in the Middle East shipping urea freely, with three vessels carrying just over 150,000t sailing under RCF commitments, the list shows. The war has upended urea supply, cutting off Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, which typically account for 1mn t/month of shipments — around 20pc of global trade. At least 21 vessels loaded with 919,000t of urea are stranded beyond Hormuz, Kpler tracking data show. The true number could be higher if operators have deactivated automatic identification systems. By Harry Minihan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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