International ammonium sulfate （AS）market

Baltic Sea / Black Sea

SBU is shipping 4000-5000 tons of standard grade AS and other fertilizers to Latin America, which was sold last week at $123 /ton Kotka FOB. On June 23^rd, ArcellorMittal will end its tender for 3,000 tons of steel grade AS to be shipped in June .

Turkey

Buying in Turkey is still light, it is reported that there is a batch of Korean caprolactam-grade AS on the market this week, the price is 144-149 US dollars / ton CFR, but the market is not interested.

Brazil

Brazil's buying interest this week is still sluggish due to strong demand growth. The reason for delaying imports is to import a large amount of goods from China at the end of 2018, but importers are convinced that the market will eventually catch up.

China's extrusion granules offer roughly 175-180 US dollars / ton CFR, depending on the quality, the low-end offer is 170 US dollars / ton CFR. Wuzhoufeng's high-quality extruded pellets are priced atUS$185/tonne CFR, while European pellets are quoted at US$190-192/tonne CFR in July. The price of caprolactam-grade CFR ranges from US$142-148/ton, with low-end products from China and high-end products from Europe and America.

Brazil's shipping status shows that from the end of May to the beginning of July, there will be 11 cargo ships entering the Brazilian port, totaling more than 286,000 tons, an increase of 100,000 tons from last week.

China

Before the arrival of the Brazilian demand season, due to the growing demand for extruded pellets and tight supply, China's caprolactam grade price was firm at around US$115/tonne FOB, and some suppliers pushed prices to a high level of US$116-119/tonne FOB. From low-end products ranging from $143-148/tonne to high-quality products of $150/tonne and granular products of around $160/ton, the price of extruded pellets continued to stabilize this week.

China's caprolactam plant's operating rate this week is about 60%. The shortage of on-site supply is due to multiple enterprise equipment maintenance and various factors parking, domestic demand for NPK and demand from the Brazilian market. Installation situation: Jiangsu Haili was forced to stop due to environmental protection on March 26, the current driving time has not been fixed; Fujian Shenyuan pre-installation equipment has been shut down for maintenance, and a device has been restored at the end of May; Nanjing Fubonte has a set of equipment failures, expected to restart in mid-June.

United States

Tensions in the Twin Cities this week have kept AS prices at a relatively high level of $265-275/ton. The sales along the Ohio River are very wide, and the market is weak due to market share among dealers. Some limited sales prices are $220/British FOT.

SA Asia

A buyer in the Philippines purchased about 20,000 tons of standard grade AS on the market and shipped it in three batches. In Malaysia, the price of MMA grade AS is in the range of 120-122 US / ton CFR (excluding China).

Argentina

The Achilles Bulker (Achilles) bulk carrier will arrive at the port of San Lorenzo on June 3rd, loading 1,050 tons of AS from China to Repsol, Argentina (YPF).

Malawi

The Malawi Smallholder Fertilizer Revolving Fund (SFFRFM), on behalf of the Malawi government, received several quotations based on its May 17 procurement tender, including various fertilizers including 50 kg of packaged AS. Valid for 90 days, the following is the lowest quote:

First (350 tons) - African investment group price is $ 296 / ton DAP Blantyre

The second (800 tons) African Investment Group price is $306/ton DAP Lilongwe

The third (150 tons) African Investment Group quoted $325/ton DAP Mzuzu

Northwestern Europe

 Producers seem to have little pressure on the summer market due to strong sales in March and April, coupled with a weak economy leading to a decline in caprolactam production. According to market news, due to the decline in demand for nylon in the automotive and construction industries, the production of AS as a by-product has declined slightly.

 Buyers in Europe, especially those in France, have begun to consider stocking up before the harvest season, when the supply of trucks will be in the most stressful state. The latest sales to European buyers were around €115/tonne FOB in NW Europe, equivalent to $130/tonne FOB. The price trend in Europe in the summer months will depend on the strong demand in the Brazilian market. It is expected that the Brazilian market will start to heat up in the next month or so. The strong urea and nitrate prices in Europe may also support the price of AS.

Granger sellers also maintain stable prices based on low inventory in summer. OCI released new prices for Fubonite products in France last week, with 3MM quoted at €207/t CPT and 2MM quoted at €182/t cpt. , all delivered in June.

In Germany, OCI offers 3mm pellets for delivery in June, with an inland CIF price of €200-202/tonne and a 2mm inland CIF price of €175-178/tonne.