Read Also<\/p>\n
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Sprayer-mounted cameras now mapping one million acres of Western Canadian fields<\/p>\n
A Saskatoon-based ag tech company says its sprayer-mounted SWAT Cam imaging system has now been used across more than a million acres, primarily in Western Canada. The cameras capture field images every 50 to 60 feet during normal sprayer passes, generating in-season crop and weed maps that complement existing zone-based field management.<\/p>\n
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Canada\u2019s import picture<\/p>\n
Canada imported an average of 4.1 million tonnes of fertilizer per year between 2018 and 2023, according to a 2024 study by Fertilizer Canada. That total includes:<\/p>\n
1.46 million tonnes of monoammonium phosphate (MAP)<\/p>\n
518,232 tonnes of ammonium <\/p>\n
92,027 tonnes of diammonium phosphate (DAP)<\/p>\n
Canada also imports NPK blends, ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate.<\/p>\n
Phosphate comes from the United States. Nitrogen products come from both the U.S. and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada produces nitrogen and potash but does not produce any phosphate and relies on imports,\u201d Fertilizer Canada spokesperson Kayla Fitzpatrick said in an email. Nitrogen and potash are produced in Western Canada, she noted, but logistics shape where imports land.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to supply chain challenges of getting bulk shipments of fertilizer across the country, it is easier to import fertilizer into Eastern Canada,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Anhydrous ammonia is applied in a mid-row band on a Manitoba field. Nitrogen and potash are produced in Western Canada, but Canada imports all of its phosphate fertilizer. Photo: Manitoba Agriculture<\/p>\n
The Strait of Hormuz problem<\/p>\n
Shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> are causing major supply disruptions in the U.S. and Brazil \u2014 the world\u2019s two largest fertilizer importers \u2014 according to an analysis<\/a> by Purdue University\u2019s Center for Commercial Agriculture.<\/p>\n The strait carries up to 30 per cent of global fertilizer shipments. Gulf countries are the largest regional exporter of urea and ammonia, and the second-largest regional exporter of DAP and MAP.<\/p>\n The U.S. imported 13 per cent of its nitrogen fertilizer, 16 per cent of its phosphate and 95 per cent of its potash in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States has a strong domestic fertilizer industry, supplying nearly 60 per cent of its demand for the primary micronutrients,\u201d wrote Purdue researchers Joana Colussi and Michael Langemeier. \u201cEven so, it remains exposed to major supply disruptions and sharp increases in fertilizer prices.\u201d<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s exposure is worse<\/p>\n Brazil imports 95 per cent of its nitrogen fertilizer, 72 per cent of its phosphate and 96 per cent of its potash.<\/p>\n \u201cBrazil does not have a strong domestic fertilizer industry, despite the scale of its agricultural production,\u201d the Perdue report stated.<\/p>\n Both Brazil and the U.S. announced plans in 2022 to reduce dependence on imported fertilizers after the Russia-Ukraine war disrupted global supplies. Domestic NPK production has changed little since.<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s imports, meanwhile, have climbed \u2014 reaching a record 43.3 million tonnes in 2025, up from 39.3 million tonnes in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cBrazil remains in a riskier position because import dependence is high across all three primary macronutrients, and domestic production has not kept pace with rising record demand,\u201d the report stated.<\/p>\n The timing matters. Brazil\u2019s soybean fertilizer purchasing window for the 2026-27 crop season is happening now. In the U.S. Midwest, much of the fertilizer for this crop year had been purchased or applied last fall, before the conflict began.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite these different impacts, both Brazil and the United States should step up efforts to expand domestic fertilizer production and reduce their exposure to external shocks,\u201d the Purdue analysis concluded.<\/p>\n Australia faces a harder squeeze<\/p>\n
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