Why MAP Fertilizer Prices Continue to Stabilize
Last, average MAP prices in Brazil inched up to $353 per metric ton from $352 per metric ton the previous week.
June 9 2016, Updated 9:05 a.m. ET
Monoammonium phosphate prices
MAP (monoammonium phosphate) is the second-most-used phosphate fertilizer, after DAP (diammonium phosphate). Last week, average MAP prices in Brazil inched up to $353 per metric ton from $352 per metric ton the previous week. MAP prices remained above the low of $329 per metric ton we saw in the week ended February 12, 2016.
Year-over-year prices
Average MAP prices were lower than they were a year ago. MAP prices averaged $353 per metric ton last week, which was 29% lower than the average price of $498 per metric ton in the corresponding week a year before. Similar to DAP prices, MAP prices continue to stabilize at their current levels.
Companies and ETFs
Despite MAP prices falling over the past year, they seem to be recovering and staying above the low of $329 per metric ton we saw in the second half of February 2016.
Mosaic (MOS), PotashCorp (POT), Israel Chemicals (ICL), and Agrium (AGU) produce phosphate fertilizers and are affected by falling fertilizer prices. You could consider investing in the SPDR S&P North American Natural Resources ETF (NANR), which invests about 1.6% of its portfolio in MOS. In the next part of this series, we’ll look at prices for potash fertilizers, the third key crop nutrient, besides nitrogen and phosphate.
