May 3, 2012
French nitrogen-fertiliser cargos hit record low
From July through February, the nitrogen-fertiliser shipments of France declined 17% to the lowest level in at least four years, industry association Unifa said.
Nitrogen sales in France declined to 1.33 million tonnes in the first eight months of the year that started July 1 from 1.61 million tonnes a year earlier, Paris-based Unifa wrote in an e-mailed statement.
France is the largest crop grower in the EU, and the bloc's biggest user of crop nutrients, according to the International Fertilizer Industry Association. Nitrogen is applied to plants to boost yields.
Potassium-fertilisershipments in France fell 16% to 391,000 tonnes in May through February, while phosphate deliveries declined 20% to 328,000 tonnes, Unifa said.
The association tracks nitrogen sales on the basis of a year that starts July 1, while the marketing year for potassium and phosphorus begins May 1.