Fertilizer International articles from March 2005

Fertilizer International archives from March 2005

Party time for shipowners.(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Fertilizer traders have been obliged to watch on the sidelines as dry bulk freight rates continue to crest the wave. The Baltic Dry Index broke all previous records during 2004, and while substantial downward rate corrections towards the end...

Prices.(Markets)
March 1, 2005... PRICES * Tight supply boosts ammonia prices * Urea gyrations as Asia remains quiet * DAP flat * Sulphur contract stability * Potash suppliers dig in their heels Ammonia prices ex-Yuzhny began to recover from the...

Mosaic's baptism: after several months of preparation, The Mosaic Company officially opened for business on 25 October 2004, promising that it would harvest cost synergies. What progress has it made during its first 100 days to achieve its pledge to cut costs by $145 million per year?(Profile)
March 1, 2005... The Mosaic Company officially began business on 25 October 2004, when trade in the company's shares began on the New York Stock Exchange. Mosaic combines the business and assets of two North American industry leaders, the Cargill Crop...

Gas holds the key to Bangladesh's future: in spite of the country's relative poverty, Bangladesh has a key resource in its natural gas reserves. However, exploiting them remains a thorny issue in domestic politics.(Bangladesh)
March 1, 2005... Bangladesh is one of world's most densely populated countries, with its 147 million people crammed into a delta of rivers that empties into the Bay of Bengal. The country is 33 years old, being formed from the breakaway of East Pakistan from...

Spotlight on an undervalued nutrient.(Magnesium)
March 1, 2005... Magnesium (Mg) is an essential nutrient, and as an important constituent of chlorophyll, it plays a key role in the photosynthetic process. Mg fertilisation is increasingly attracting the attention of growers and planters, especially in the...

The K+S Kieserite lead.(Magnesium)
March 1, 2005... One of the world's leading suppliers of magnesium fertilizer products is K+S Kali GmbH, which operates six mines in Germany where the raw materials of potash and magnesium are extracted. K+S has a production capacity of 11 million t/a of...

New projects augment global capacity.(Magnesium)
March 1, 2005... Several recently announced projects will add to the world supply of magnesium fertilizers. The Spanish company Grupo Agrimartin is due to inaugurate its joint venture SSP and magnesium sulphate plants by the second half of 2005. Grupo...

A growing solution.(Fertigation)
March 1, 2005... Fertigation--the delivery of fertilizers via irrigation water--is becoming increasingly important in Asia as agriculture, the main user of water, must compete for a scarce resource with rapidly developing urban areas. Fertigation attempts to...

Pioneering conference spotlights every facet.(Phosphates 2005 Preview)
March 1, 2005... The pioneering Phosphates 2005 fills a major niche in the international fertilizer industry calendar. The first British Sulphur Phosphates Conference and Exhibition will take place between 3-5 April 2005 at the Sofitel Rive Gauche, Paris, and...

India: a DAP reckoning.(Phosphates 2005 Preview)
March 1, 2005... Indian's consumption of fertilizers recorded positive growth for all the three major nutrients in 2003/04, and forecasts for 2004/05 point to a further increase in growth. In common with other countries in the South Asian region, India has...

VICHEM offers turnkey solutions: the French company, VICHEM, has gained over half a century's experience as a leading supplier of technology and support services for the phosphate industry worldwide. Gerard Malugani, Managing Director, describes some of VICHEM's major innovations.(Phosphate)
March 1, 2005... Phosphate-based products form the basis for many chemical intermediates, including fertilizers, food supplements for animals, key chemicals for washing powders, additives for human food, as well as a range of speciality products. For the...

K+S picks up the baton in France.(Potash in Europe)
March 1, 2005... Kali und Salz AG (K+S) embarks on 2005 in a position of strength. In December 2004, the company formally completed its acquisition of the assets and marketing rights of the French potash company, SCPA. K+S has meanwhile attended to its...

A new treatment offers enhanced quality: the German company K-UTEC has devised a post-treatment process that significantly improves the quality of granular potash, as described here.(Granular Potash)
March 1, 2005... The production of granular potash requires the most stringent quality standards which must be guaranteed for the customer, throughout the production process and up to the point of sale. In the course of the transport and storage processes in...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... MARCH 16-18 3rd New Ag International Conference & Exhibition, Sheraton Voyager Hotel, ANTALYA, Turkey. Contact: Andrew Osborne, Sales & Marketing Director. Tel: (+44) 20 8744 1075 Fax: (+44) 20 8744 1705 E-mail:...

Emerging nations embrace bio-crops.(Agronomic Update)
March 1, 2005... In marked contrast to the richer nations, developing countries have shown greater enthusiasm in adopting genetically modified (GM) crops. In 2004, developing countries increased the cultivated area devoted to GM crops by 7.2 million hectares,...

India tackles S deficiency.(Agronomic Update)
March 1, 2005... As India makes good progress in achieving enhanced food security, there is growing concern that the use of high analysis sulphur-free fertilizers is resulting in heavy S removal by crops under intensive cultivation. There is also increased...

What makes a good soil test?(Agronomic Update)
March 1, 2005... Soil testing is recommended for soils all over the world, but its success or failure depends on many factors that cannot be neglected if the test is to be useful. Accurate soil testing begins with taking a sample that will accurately...

Understanding the chloride component in KCl.(Agronomic Update)
March 1, 2005... While over 90% of the total [K.sub.2]O as fertilizer applied throughout the world takes the form of KCl, fears have been expressed about the deleterious effect of the Cl component on soil and plant health, especially when applied in foliar...

PPI elects new directors.(People)
March 1, 2005... William J. Doyle, President and CEO of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PotashCorp) has been elected for a two-year term as Chairman of the Potash & Phosphate Institute (PPI). Having been a longtime member of the PPI Board, his appointment...

Kemira GrowHow renews the team.(People)
March 1, 2005... CEO Heikki Sirvio has been re-elected as the Chairman of the Corporate Management Board of Kemira GrowHow Oyj. Other members of the management team have also had their mandates renewed. These include Kaj Friman, Deputy CEO; Timo Lainto,...

FAI DG.(People)
March 1, 2005... Shri B. K. Saha took over as Director General of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) with effect from 22 December 2004. Saha spent a substantial part of his career of 37 years in the agricultural irrigation and fertilizer sectors. He...

Agrotain appoints new regional manager.(People)
March 1, 2005... Agrotain International has appointed John Wilson as a Regional Manager. He will be based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, from where he will be responsible for promoting the company's portfolio of stabilised nitrogen products, including...

New PhosAgro chairman.(People)
March 1, 2005... Stanislav V. Pomytkin has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of PhosAgro, with effect from 17 January. He retains his operational position of First Vice President, Sales and Logistics in the group's managing company, PhosAgro...

Apatit sale.(People)
March 1, 2005... Group Menatep, the Russian state-owned conglomerate, has sold 50% of the holding company that owns Apatit, the fertilizer company that former Yukos executives Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev are charged with fraudulently buying from...

Arr-Maz buys Nufarm.(People)
March 1, 2005... Arr-Maz Custom Chemicals, Inc. has acquired Nufarm Ltd., giving it the rights to the Galoryl[TM] brand of additives and coatings for nitrogen chemicals and fertilizers. The deal makes an excellent fit, for Arr-Maz is the leading supplier of...

Mississippi Phosphates out of bankruptcy.(People)
March 1, 2005... On 22 December 2004, Mississippi Phosphates Corporation announced its new organisational structure, following its separation from long-time parent company, Mississippi Chemical Corp. (MissChem). Robert E. Jones and C.E. McCraw, former senior...

K+S move.(People)
March 1, 2005... Rolf Hardter, has left the Agricultural Services Department of K+S Kali to become Managing Director of the K+S office in Poznan, Poland. He looks forward to the challenges of his new role and paid generous tribute to those in his former area...

CECA reorganisation.(People)
March 1, 2005... CECA, the French supplier of surfactants, coatings and additives for fertilizer production, is now part of ARKEMA, a new division of the Total group, which succeeds Atofina. ARKEMA consists of three primary business segments: vinyl products,...

David Heather, OBE.(People)
March 1, 2005... In the New Year's Honours list, David Heather, Deputy, Chief Executive of the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE). The award recognises David's 26 years at the service of the...

Hanfeng appoints new board member.(People)
March 1, 2005... Hanfeng Evergreen Inc., has appointed Robert Beutal as a member of the company's board of directors. He served as Director of Nu-Gro for 15 years, until the company was acquired by a private company in 2004. Beutel is currently Chairman of...

NZ stake moves.(People)
March 1, 2005... New Zealand's fertilizer cooperative, Balance Agri-Nutrients, has confirmed reports in the local press that it is to increase its shareholding in the country's largest fertilizer marketer, Summit-Quinphos Ltd., from 30% to 40%. The...

Paul Mangat.(People)
March 1, 2005... It is with deep regret that we report the death of I.S. (Paul) Mangat on 21 January 2005. After a very distinguished career in the fertilizer industry, Paul joined British Sulphur Consultants in 1985 as Senior Consulting Engineer, serving...

Compass Minerals appointments.(People)
March 1, 2005... Compass Minerals International, owner of Great Salt Lake Minerals (GSL), has named Ronald Bryan as Vice President and General Manager, Sulphate of Potash, with effect from 15 January. He is responsible for the overall management of Great Salt...