Dark clouds hang over fertilizer prices. The driving season is almost over, but the supply is still very large. Manure stores are still not empty. Fertilizer prices are therefore taking a step up according to the DCA fertilizer quotations.
The spreading season has also experienced setbacks in recent weeks. Although last week the exit conditions were finally reasonable again and there was peak traffic, the total exit volume is still disappointing. On arable land, arable farmers are in a hurry to plant potatoes, for example, because of the late spring. The times to spread manure on these plots are sometimes limited. "We cannot be everywhere at the same time and at the desired time, the capacity is already maximum, so we cannot serve everyone in that short period," says a contractor. In addition, work occasionally came to a standstill due to new precipitation or because it was still wet.
Large volumes in the manure silos
The supply in the market remains large, both in pig and cattle slurry. The manure pits at livestock farmers are sometimes still quite full and the same applies to other manure storage areas. On average, the volumes of fixed appointments have also not yet been eliminated. That won't work this spring either. "We have to be realistic. Of what was possible to spread manure, 90% has already been done. So we are nearing the end," says a contractor. According to contractors, this is no different abroad, such as in Germany. There too, much less volume was released than in other years.
Manure prices are rising
Manure prices have actually been under pressure for the entire spreading season and this has only increased further in the past week. DCA manure quotations have been stable to slightly increasing in recent weeks, but are now increasing on average for both pig and cattle manure. Some manure traders and contractors are still keeping prices the same because they do not accept new manure and therefore there is no trade. They no longer have placement space. Some also keep the prices the same and take stock at the end of the season. However, they also see that with this offer a price increase in the fertilizer market is inevitable. For example, the price of manure processing is already rising considerably.
Both DCA pig and cattle slurry quotations are up in most regions by €0,50 to €1 per tonne this week. Some quotes remain the same as last week or drop very slightly. View the progress of all fertilizer quotations here.