T
he Brazilian fertilizer industry
ends 2016 with a better perfor-
mance than in theprevious year.
Sales to final consumers totaled
31.408 million tons from Janu-
ary to November 2016, up 11.5% from the
same result in the previous year. The results
are released by the National Fertilizer Asso-
ciation (Anda). The volume also outstrips
the total sales of 30.201million tons in 2015.
The bigger demand was influenced by
the continuation of the exchange relations
for most of the crops, says David Roquet-
ti Filho, executive director at Anda. In the
2015/16 growing season, the share of the
fertilizers in the production costs reached
36%, or R$702.58 per hectare, and 35%, or
R$726.4 per hectare, respectively, accord-
ing to theMato Grosso State Institute of Ag-
ricultural Economy (Imea).
In 2016, the total number of nutrients
(NPK) delivered reached 13.509 million
tons, up 10% from the performance in the
samemonths the previous year. Sales of ni-
trogen fertilizers (N), Phosphate-based fer-
tilizers (P2O5), potassium fertilizers (K2O)
totaled 3.752 million tons, 4.529 million
tons and 5.228 million tons, respectively.
In the same order, the result of each one
of the three groups of nutrients increased
by 17.4%, 8.3% and 8.1%, compared to the
2015 growing season.
Mato Grosso was the leader with a de-
mand for 6.029million tons, 19.2%of the to-
tal delivered to the national market. The fol-
lowing states come in the sequence: Paraná
(12.7%) with 3.992 million tons; Rio Grande
do Sul (12.7%), with 3.985 million tons; São
Paulo (11.7%), with 3.665 million tons; and
MinasGerais (11.7%),with3.661million tons.
The production of intermediate fertiliz-
ers in Brazil amounted to 8.224million tons,
down 1.7% from the 8.366 million tons pro-
duced fromJanuary toNovember 2015. The
production of nitrogen fertilizers dropped
(-3.9%) and so did phosphate-based fertiliz-
ers (-2.3%). Production of potassium fertiliz-
erswent up2.6%. Nevertheless, preliminary
data had it that the importation of interme-
diate fertilizers amounted to 22.351 million
tons, representing an increase of 12.6%.
Prices of nitrogen fertilizers rose 30%, pric-
es of phosphate-based fertilizers went up
11.5%and potassiumfertilizers, 1.8%.
In2016,fertilizerandagriculturalmachinerysectorscometoaclosewithmore
positiveresultsthannegative, inspiteofthecrisistheCountryisexperiencing
Inthe
black
Inputs
Sílvio Ávila
72
