A coalition of corn organizations and commodity groups hosted a listening session in Texas on fertilizer market competition, where Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson pledged to launch an investigation into the fertilizer industry.
The discussion centered on rising fertilizer costs and supply challenges affecting U.S. farmers. Following the event, National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower said the investigation is a positive step for corn producers facing continued financial pressure.
“We commend FTC Chairman Ferguson for taking part in the discussion and pledging to launch an investigation into the fertilizer industry,” Bower said. “This comes as a welcome development, particularly as corn growers are facing their fourth consecutive year of negative returns and struggling to pay for exorbitantly expensive fertilizer products.”
Bower said the National Corn Growers Association is working to address factors contributing to elevated fertilizer prices, including limited competition in the domestic marketplace. He highlighted the group’s support for legislation designed to improve transparency and encourage additional suppliers in the fertilizer sector, including the Fertilizer Transparency Act, Fertilizer Research Act and Homegrown Fertilizer Act.
“NCGA is committed to eliminating the factors that keep fertilizer prices at near-record highs,” Bower said.
The organization is also urging the administration to remove countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco. According to Bower, the duties have reduced supply availability and increased costs for growers who cannot rely solely on domestic production.
“We are also calling on the administration to remove countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imported from Morocco, which have hampered supplies and raised costs for farmers who can’t solely rely on domestic supply,” Bower said. “A resumption of phosphate imports from Morocco would offer some relief to U.S. farmers while global fertilizer supplies are constrained.”
Bower also said NCGA appreciates efforts by the Trump administration to address fertilizer supply chain constraints and promote competition within the industry.
Source: National Corn Growers Association, "Corn Growers Call Out Fertilizer Companies for Price Hikes"