Fertilizer International articles from July 2005

Fertilizer International archives from July 2005

Fuel for thought.(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2005... The fertilizer industry can celebrate a red-letter day: AdBlue is here! On 30 June, Yara International officially launched its AdBlue solution fuel additive, marked by the opening in conjunction with Hydro Texaco of Norway's first filling...

Prices.(MARKETS)
July 1, 2005... * Ammonia tumbles in face of weak demand * FSU urea revival * Indian and Pakistan buying boosts DAP values * Arab Gulf sulphur suppliers chase big price lifts * Medium-term potash outlook remains bullish Ammonia markets...

Keynotes.(MARKETS)
July 1, 2005... Several Middle Eastern urea producers have undertaken turnarounds. The 336,000 t/a Safco 1 prilled urea plant at Damman, Saudi Arabia, will be out of action for 3-4 weeks, being scheduled to restart on 15 July. From the same date, the Safco...

AFCOME invites you to Nantes.(PREVIEW)
July 1, 2005... Key dates to note in your diary are 23-25 November 2005, when AFCOME (Association Francaise des Cooperatives et Entreprises de Distribution et de Melange d'Engrais) will convene its 9th International Conference. This year's meeting will be in...

EU gives Bulgaria the green light: Bulgaria is set to join the European Union (EU) in January 2007. The country's agriculture and associated fertilizer industry have undergone over a decade of tribulations since the demise of communism in 1989, but there are heartening signs that a progressive and modern industry is ready to meet the challenges of EU entry.(EASTERN EUROPE)
July 1, 2005... On 24 April 2005, the European Union (EU) signed an accession treaty with Bulgaria and Romania, paving the way for the second phase of enlargement to embrace the former communist countries of Eastern Europe. The two Balkan states will join...

How to prevent segregation.(BLENDING)
July 1, 2005... Standardise the granulation: while blended fertilizers have made substantial inroads in markets around the world, they are acknowledged to have one major disadvantage over other forms of multinutrient fertilizers. That is, the tendency for...

Converting promise into results.(CONTROLLED-RELEASE FERTILIZERS)
July 1, 2005... There are many agronomic arguments that favour the development of controlled-release and stabilised fertilizers (CRFs), but their use has for the most part remained confined to speciality areas. Nevertheless, progress continues in devising...

Chiyoda keeps a place in the sun: Japan's Chiyoda Corporation has faced major challenges in enhancing its profitability in the highly competitive market for process technology and international engineering contracts. David Hayes visited the company's head office in Yokohama to find out more.(PROCESS ENGINEERING)
July 1, 2005... Since the mid- 1990s, most licensed process technology companies and international engineering contractors serving the fertilizer industry have been forced to undertake cost-cutting exercises to improve their global competitiveness. Although...

Biodiesel: implications for fertilizer consumption.(BIOFUELS)
July 1, 2005... In this, the third of his articles reviewing the outlook for biofuels, Ken Gilbert assesses biodiesel. This can be produced from oilseed crops, notably rapeseed and soya. At first sight, the drive to develop biodiesel represents a positive...

A look at the basic principles: the search for greater efficiency not only requires continuing investment in production facilities, but also in handling, storage and distribution. Record freight rates for dry bulk vessels now provide a further spur to invest in the distribution chain.(BULK HANDLING)
July 1, 2005... In order to maximise economies of scale, fertilizer producers and distributors endeavour to handle both finished product and raw materials in bulk throughout the manufacturing and distribution chain, right up to the point of final delivery to...

Adding value to the waste: at the recent Phosphates 2005 Conference in Paris, John Sinden of J S Ltda. addressed the important issue regarding the potential use of some of the waste by-products from phosphate production. We have pleasure in publishing his paper in full.(TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2005... As energy costs have increased and environmental legislation has become stricter, the production of elemental phosphorus in the majority of world markets has been reduced to the minimum necessary for the production of a limited number of...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... JULY 5-7 18th AFA International Technical Conference, CASABLANCA, Morocco. Contact: Dr. Shafik Ashkar, Secretary General, Arab Fertilizer Association (AFA). Tel: (+20) 2 417 2347. Fax: (+20) 2 417 3721 E-mail: info@afa-com.eg Web:...

Lome workshop promotes seed harmonisation.(AGRONOMIC UPDATE)
July 1, 2005... The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) convened a workshop on 25-26 November 2004 with the goal of harmonising seed laws and regulations governing seed marketing within the WAEMU region. This workshop was the second of a series...

Understanding nitrogen.(AGRONOMIC UPDATE)
July 1, 2005... The latest EFMA publication is entitled Understanding Nitrogen and Its Use in Agriculture. It is particularly topical, and has been designed for policy-makers and others who have an interest in agriculture but not necessarily a scientific...

Zn and B are critical factors in India.(AGRONOMIC UPDATE)
July 1, 2005... In India, there is increasing recognition of the influence of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) on the growth and development of some sensitive crop plants. Zn is an essential metallic element in over 300 enzymes and also plays a critical structural...

IFA red-letter day.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... At the recent 73rd IFA Annual Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, members of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IRA) elected Wu Sihai as their President for a two-year term until June 2007. Mr. Wu is the President of the...

IPC kudos.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Anatoly G. Lomakin, Director General of International Potash Co. (IPC), has been elected IFA's Vice President for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Before being elected to the post at the IFA Annual Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on 8 June, Mr....

Uralkali's Brazilian appointment.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... The Russian potash producer Uralkali has announced the appointment of Felipe Cortes as Director of its newly founded Uralkali Trading Fertilizantes in Brazil He brings several years of experience in the fertilizer industry, where he...

Belaruskali to leave IPC.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... The Belarus potash producer, Belaruskali, has indicated its intention to withdraw from the International Potash Company (IPC) export consortium, on which it has until now relied on to market its product overseas. Company President Alexander...

SQM and Yara agree marketing terms with Akzo.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Netherlands-based Akzo Nobel Chelates and Micronutrients has entered into two separate global marketing agreements with SQM, Chile and Yara International. The agreements cover chelated micronuttients and various speciality products used...

Yara launches African foundation.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Yara International has launched a Green Revolution in Africa Foundation and an international prize, which focuses on food production and the fight against poverty in Africa. Through the Yara Foundation, Yara International is the first private...

Assofertilizzanti announces new president.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Assofertilizzanti, the Italian association of fertilizer producers, held its annual meeting on 14 May, when it announced the appointment of Narciso Salvo di Pietraganzili as President of the association for the year 2005/06. Sr. Salvo has...

Agrotain on a roll.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Agrotain International LLC continues to expand, having appointed Chuck Barber as a regional manager, based in Erie, Pennsylvania. In his new post, he is responsible for promoting the company's line of stabilised nitrogen products, including...

Sun Gro's CRF alliance with Haifa.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... As reported elsewhere in this issue, Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund announced on 3 June that its two subsidiaries, Sun Gro Horticulture Distribution Inc. and Sun Gro Horticulture Canada Ltd., have signed agreements to become the official US...

Tigers burn bright for HJ Baker.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... H.J. Baker & Bro., Inc. has entered into an agreement with the Canadian company Enersul to purchase the assets of two of its subsidiaries, Tiger Industries and Tiger-Sunbelt Industries. The latter operates production facilities at Atmore,...

Clarkson expands.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Although dry bulk freight rates have fallen sharply from the unprecedented peaks reached late last year, they remain above trend. One of the beneficiaries has been the UK shipping services group, Clarkson plc. In March 2005, Clarkson plc...

Welcome, Magnus.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Magnus Berge has joined our sister tide, Fertilizer WEEK, in succession to Linda Teo, taking over the baton in covering the Asian phosphates and ammonia markets. He also reports on the global market for potash. Being half Norwegian and half...

M. Mehdi Yahia.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... It is with great regret that we announce the death of M. Mehdi Yahia, who died at the age of 57 on 11 June 2005. M. Yahia had been sales manager for Eastern Europe with OCP's commercial division since 1988.

Gerard Connor.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... We are also very saddened to report the sudden and untimely death of Gerard Connor in a riding accident on 14 May at his home near Waterford in Ireland. Gerard had been with Potash Ltd. since 1986. He first worked in the company's Dublin...

NC terminal ready for Koch.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... Koch Nitrogen International has signed along-term exclusive agreement with Carolina Marine Terminal Inc. to store urea at a 30,000 tonnes facility at a site on the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. The terminal is scheduled for completion...

Spur Ventures buys Hebei operations.(PEOPLE)
July 1, 2005... The Vancouver-based Spur Ventures Inc. announced on 29 June that it had signed a binding agreement to acquire the fertilizer assets of China's Hebei Tianren Chemical Corp. and to merge the management teams and assets of both companies. The...