Fertilizers are important agricultural inputs that are necessary to grow crops that feed people all over the world.

Organic fertilizers enhance the soil's fertility and texture. Fertilizers are used by gardeners to provide the nutritional demands of plants, among other needs. By giving the soil the proper balance of nutrients, fertilizers play the role of increasing production and ensuring healthy output.

 The three main nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium—that are crucial to plant growth make up the majority of the fertilizer business. In smaller amounts, fertilizers also use calcium, sulphur, and magnesium.

Chemical procedures are used to create nitrogen fertilizers like urea and ammonium sulphate from ammonia, whereas mining operations are used to create phosphate and potash fertilizers.

As a result, the regional distribution of the manufacturing of nitrogen fertilizers is more even than that of phosphate and potash fertilizer production, which is regionally concentrated. The majority of the world's potash production capability is held by nations like Canada, Belarus, and Russia. China is by far the greatest producer of phosphate fertilizers.

What is the Growth status of fertilizer exports?

In 2021, all nations shipped fertilizers for a total of $82.5 billion. Over the five years beginning in 2017, when total fertilizer exports were valued at $51.3 billion, that sum shows an average growth of 60.9% for all fertilizer shippers. Exports of fertilizers increased in value by 48.4% between 2020 and 2021.

Which countries are the largest fertilizer producers?

The top countries with the largest exports of fertilizer are Russia, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the U.S.A, and Morocco.

Russia, with an export value of over 12.5 billion dollars in 2021, was the primary exporter of agricultural fertilizers globally. With roughly 11.5 and 6.6 billion dollars each, China and Canada came in second and third, respectively.

Europe had the biggest monetary value of fertilizer exports among continents in 2021, with shipments totaling $29.6 billion, or 35.9% of the global total. Asia was not far behind in the second position with 34.8%, while North America accounted for 13.4% of foreign fertilizer shipments. Another 13% was given by African exporters.

What kind of fertilizers are used in export?

Regarding the various kinds of exported fertilizers, around 80.4% were nitrogen-based goods. Comparing phosphatic fertilizers at 2.7% to potassic fertilizers at 15.5% Those mineral or chemical fertilizer subcategories apart, animal or vegetable fertilizers made up the other fertilizer type, accounting for the remaining 1.4%.

Which countries are on the list of top fertilizers exports arranged by country?

In 2021, Russia was the main exporter of agricultural fertilizers worldwide, with an export value of approximately 12.5 billion U.S. dollars. China and Canada followed, with some 11.5 and 6.6 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.

Top Fertilizers exports by country-

Russia: US$12.5 billion (15.1% of total exported fertilizers)

China: $10.9 billion (13.3%)

Canada: $6.6 billion (8%)

Morocco: $5.7 billion (6.9%)

United States: $4.1 billion (4.9%)

Saudi Arabia: $3.6 billion (4.4%)

Netherlands: $2.9 billion (3.5%)

Belgium: $2.63 billion (3.2%)

Oman: $2.6 billion (3.1%)

Qatar: $2.2 billion (2.6%)

Germany: $1.5 billion (1.8%)

Israel: $1.48 billion (1.8%)

Egypt: $1.47 billion (1.8%)

Lithuania: $1.37 billion (1.7%)

Algeria: $1.36 billion (1.6%)

Spain: $1.33 billion (1.6%)

Jordan: $1.26 billion (1.5%)

Poland: $1.16 billion (1.4%)

Malaysia: $958 million (1.2%)

Nigeria: $949.8 million (1.2%)

United Arab Emirates: $942.5 million (1.1%)

Indonesia: $863.7 million (1%)

Finland: $819.5 million (1%)

Trinidad/Tobago: $720.2 million (0.9%)

Ukraine: $632.7 million (0.8%)

Italy: $600.3 million (0.7%)

Chile: $584.5 million (0.7%)

Austria: $501.1 million (0.6%)

France: $486.5 million (0.6%)

Turkey: $473.5 million (0.6%)

The possibility of disruptions in the world fertilizer trade is significantly increased by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to data from The Fertilizer Institute, Russia exports more fertilizers than any other country in the world, including 23% of ammonia, 14% of urea, 10% of processed phosphate, and 21% of potash. Brazil (21%), China (10%), the US (9%), and India (4%), are Russia's top fertilizer export destinations.

Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, China, and Morocco are the top five fertilizer exporters.  More than 70% of the phosphates produced worldwide come from these nations.

Let’s have a look at the top fertilizer companies list-

• Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemicals (Egypt)
• Acron Group (Russia)
• Intrepid Potash (United States)
• Nutrien (Canada)
• Sinofert (China)  

 

Now, let’s understand in more detail some of the largest Fertilizer companies.

 

 

Acron Group-

Acron owns mining licenses in Russia and Canada for more than 400 mn t of recoverable potash resources in terms of KCl, as well as two chemical manufacturing facilities and a mine in Russia with a combined capacity of over 7 mn t of commercial output.

 

Acron belongs to the European Fertilizer Import Association, the Russian Fertilizer Producers Association, and the International Fertilizer Industry Association.

 

The Acron Group is one of the largest fertilizer producers in Russia and around the world. Its product line is diverse and includes both nitrogen-based products like urea, ammonium nitrate, and UAN as well as multi-nutrient fertilizers like NPK and bulk blends. 

 

CF Industries Holdings Inc.-

CF Industries Holdings Inc. and Nutrien Ltd are the industry leaders in terms of market share dominance in 2021. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. is one of the largest U.S fertilizer companies and fertilizer suppliers of ammonia, urea, and ammonium nitrate products. The Central Farmers Fertilizer Company was established in 1946. CF Industries is at the forefront of the clean hydrogen supply due to our dedication to decarbonizing the largest ammonia production network in the world. The largest ammonia producer in the world, CF Industries is ideally situated to meet this anticipated demand due to its unrivalled asset base and technical expertise.

 

Intrepid Potash, Inc.

Intrepid Potash, Inc. is among the famous wholesale fertilizer companies. Intrepid Potash is one of the top fertilizer manufacturers in the U.S.A. It has its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The business is the largest fertilizer manufacturer of muriatic potash, often known as potassium chloride, in the U.S.A. This fertilizer supplier has three mines namely in the Western United States, New Mexico; Moab; and Wendover, Utah.

 

Nutrien -

Nutrien is a fertilizer company which is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. It is well-known as one of the largest suppliers of potash and nitrogen fertilizer in the world.

Over 27 million tonnes of potash, nitrogen, and phosphate products are produced and distributed for use by feed, industrial, and agricultural customers worldwide. Due to the leading agriculture retail network, which covers more than 500,000 grower accounts, it is possible to satisfy the demands of a rising world and generate value for its stakeholders. Nutrien's crop inputs and services are available in the world's most important growing regions because of its 23,500 employees and global footprint of operations and investments. 

 

Office Chérifien des Phosphates-

Morocco has a big fertilizer sector with enormous output potential and a global presence.

Morocco has a clear advantage when it comes to making phosphorus fertilizers. It has more than 70% of the world's reserves of phosphate rock, which is where the phosphorus used in fertilizers comes from. As a result, Morocco serves as a gatekeeper for the world's food supply networks because phosphorus is necessary for the growth of all food crops. Indeed, all plant life does. Unlike other limited resources like fossil fuels, phosphorous has no substitute. 

 

Office Chérifien des Phosphates is one of the major wholesale fertilizer suppliers that account for about 20% of Morocco's export earnings. It also employs 21,000 people, making it the largest employer in the nation.

In Jorf Lasfar, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, Office Chérifien des Phosphates constructed the largest fertilizer production hub in the world.

 

Sinofert Holdings Ltd.-

Sinofert Holdings Ltd. is the sole owner of Sinochem Fertilizer Co., Ltd which is the largest fertilizer firm in China. Sinochem Fertilizer is one of the leading wholesale fertilizer distributors that integrates production, trading, and distribution and has created a full industrial chain including R&D, manufacturing, I&E, distribution, retail, and agricultural service.

 

By vertically integrating the industrial chain and adhering to the strategy of "centering on marketing and distribution and expanding into both production and distribution," Sinochem Fertilizer aims to become both China's No. 1 and the leading global provider of comprehensive agricultural inputs services.  

 

 

Conclusion-

 

The biggest forces behind rising fertilizer usage are population and economic growth. In established areas like Europe and North America, demand for fertilizer is anticipated to remain largely stable over the coming years. The growth in the demand for fertilizer worldwide is anticipated to be led by Latin America and Asia. By 2026, 208 million metric tonnes of nutrients would be needed globally in fertilizers.