IFA Calls out Unjustified Yara Fertiliser Price Hikes

IFA Inputs Project Team Chairman John Coughlan has said that recent nitrogen products price increases announced by Yara for September and October are totally unjustified, clearly demonstrating their market power as Europe’s leading nitrogen manufacturer.

John Coughlan said, “The latest moves by Yara to hike CAN and ammonium nitrate prices at the beginning of the new fertiliser season clearly demonstrate that the EU fertiliser market is dysfunctional due to a lack of any meaningful competition.

“It is imperative that the EU Commission moves swiftly to suspend anti-dumping duties on the imports of ammonium nitrate from Russia and, as a further step, remove customs tariffs on the imports of non-EU fertilisers into the EU.

“IFA, along with a number of other EU farming organisation, have submitted copious amounts of data showing that EU fertiliser prices are among the highest in the world due to a lack of real competition on the internal market. This is due in large part to anti-dumping duties and customs tariffs, some of which were put in place in 1994.

“EU farmers operate in a highly competitive market for their produce. However, they are charged top dollar for their inputs. This is seriously eroding farm incomes and reducing Europe’s competitiveness in the global marketplace and must be addressed by the Commission,” John Coughlan said.