Import of Nitrogen Fertilizers in Ukraine is Declining

Ukrainian importers reduce the volume of purchases of foreign nitrogen fertilizers. In particular, imports in March fell by 5.7% compared to February. The companies reduced their purchases of ammonia and nitrate. The main suppliers of nitrate to the Ukrainian market were Kazakhstan (the share of fertilizer imports was 49%), Georgia (32%), and Poland (10%).

As for the purchase of ammonia, the importers supplied the purchased composition mainly for the production of domestic nitrate. For these needs, more than 70% of the ammonia supplied to Ukraine in March was sent. Because of this, Ukrainian agrarians faced a shortage of ammonia for their own needs.

Also, agricultural companies have problems with obtaining a carbamide-ammonia mixture (CAS). Importers bought 16.8 thousand tons, but even taking into account domestic production, they managed to cover only 70% of demand. Due to the established cold weather in March, CAS is used mainly in April, and now Ukrainian producers are increasing the volume of production. In this regard, importers are in no hurry to increase purchases. It is expected that the lack of CAS will be a problem for Ukrainian farmers until the end of spring.

In total, in the first quarter of 2021, 380 thousand tons of nitrogen fertilizers were imported to Ukraine. This is 26% less compared to the same period in 2020 when 452 thousand tons were imported into the country.