Brazil’s January - August AS imports hit record
Published by Oliver Kleinschmidt,
Deputy Editor
World Fertilizer,
Brazil's nitrogen-based ammonium sulfate (AS) imports have reached a record for the first eight months of 2025 as high availability and more attractive prices have led buyers to seek AS instead of urea.
Brazil imported nearly 3.8 million t in January-August, a 59% increase from the same period in 2024 and a record for the eight-month period, according to the Global Trade Tracker (GTT)'s latest data.
This puts total AS imports in the eight-month period around 100 000 t above urea imports in the same period. That is the first time that Brazil imports more AS than urea in the period.
AS imports reached almost 916 090 t in August, a 34% rise from the same month in 2024 and also a record for the month.
China accounted for 99.9% of total deliveries in the month and in the year through August.
Buyers continue to seek AS because its prices are more attractive than those of other nitrogen-based fertilizers, such as urea. Availability also contributes to keep demand high and support buyers' downward pressure on prices.
This trend has been intensifying since 2022, when concerns over urea supply made farmers turn to nitrogen alternatives.
The fertilizer can also be stocked. Urea, which is more volatile depending on weather conditions, cannot.
Urea imports down
Brazil's urea imports fell by 19% in August to approximately 612,080t, according to GTT data.
Oman was the main supplier, with 21% of the volume. Russia followed, with nearly 13%, while Qatar, Nigeria, and Algeria shipped around 12% each.
Brazil imported around 3.7 million t of urea in January-August, around 16% less than in the same period in 2024. That is also the lowest level for the eight-month period since 2019.
Nigeria was the main supplier in the eight-month period, accounting for 26% of the total. Oman sent around 16%. Qatar, Algeria, and Russia were responsible for around 14%, 13%, and 12%, respectively.
Higher prices and global limited availability in part of the year discouraged urea purchases. Brazil's nitrogen purchases will intensify in the 4Q25, after the start of the soybean planting, when buyers turn their attention to acquiring nitrogen to supply the 2025 - 26 second corn crop, market participants expect. But they also expect total urea exports to end 2025 below both 2024’s level and this year's AS volumes.
AN imports also fall
Brazil imported 157 430 t of ammonium nitrate (AN) in August, a 23% drop from a year earlier, according to GTT data.
But AN imports in January - August summed around 694 970t , 5% more than in the same period in 2024.
Russia was the main supplier, accounting for all imports in August and 94% of volumes in January - August.
Read the original news release by Gisele Augusto on Argus Media.
Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/nitrogen/10092025/brazils-january--august-as-imports-hit-record/