Agri merchants have indicated that fertiliser prices look set to rise by £15/t to £20/t during December, which would bring new stocks of CAN to £270/t.

Despite a significant fall in oil and fuel prices in recent weeks, it seems that lower energy prices will not filter through to the fertiliser sector for the time being.

Merchants contacted by the Irish Farmers Journal said that they have received new price listings for straight nitrogen and compound products from fertiliser manufacturers in the past week.

Prices have been set on products such as CAN. However, prices for urea are less clear. Indications are that new stocks of urea could run to £310/t to £330/t, depending on demand during early spring of 2019.

Generally, merchants are unsure how prices will fare through next spring.

Those who purchased nitrogen in autumn, or are forward-buying fertiliser in December, will have to clear existing stocks before any potential costs savings could be passed on to customers (assuming that global prices do eventually fall).

But if buyers hold off on buying, merchants state this will only delay the clearance of higher-price stocks in spring.

Existing stocks

Where merchants still possess fertiliser products purchased this autumn, CAN is trading at £250/t to £255/t.

Sales have been reported to be steady in recent weeks with many dairy farmers stockpiling fertiliser as they approach the end of the financial year.

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