Increased nitrogen fertilizer tariffs are out, and U.S. agriculture groups are celebrating. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled it wouldn’t impose additional tariffs after CF Industries filed a petition for urea ammonium nitrate tariffs on imports from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Soundbite: “We have been watching this go up over the past several months, but here lately, we’ve seen a little bit of relief in the price of nitrogen, but I think that this is going to additionally help quite a bit,” said Ronnie Russell, American Soybean Association board member from Missouri.
For farmers, fewer tariffs should mean more imports—which would provide some much-needed relief to the ongoing supply squeeze, and (ideally) lower prices.
Building (commodity) coalitions: National Corn Growers Association President Chris Edgington says, “Maybe even the biggest news is it proves that commodity groups and the corn growers have the ability to make a difference on something that we’ve maybe never really weighed in (on) until this last year where we have been involved in fertilizer on a large scale.”
Next on the docket: Other fertilizer imports like potash and phosphate could be reviewed.