Brazil's fertilizer imports hits record in 2025 as lower-grade products gain market share
En 2025, le Brésil a enregistré des importations de fertilisants à un niveau sans précédent, avec 44,96 millions de tonnes, marquant une hausse de 2,9 % par rapport à l'année précédente. Cette tendance est alimentée par une stratégie des agriculteurs visant à réduire les coûts de production en privilégiant des fertilisants à faible concentration, tels que le sulfate d'ammonium et le superphosphate simple. Les implications de ce changement sont significatives, tant sur le plan agronomique que logistique, alors que les agriculteurs doivent ajuster leurs volumes d'application pour atteindre les niveaux de fertilisation requis. Les conditions économiques difficiles et les dynamiques du marché international continueront d'influencer les décisions d'achat en 2026.
Brazilian fertilizer imports reached a new record in 2025, with 44.96 million tonnes purchased—a 2.9% increase over 2024 volumes—driven by strategic shifts toward lower-concentration nutrient products as growers sought to reduce production costs amid compressed profit margins, according to data from financial services firm StoneX.
The performance indicates that despite unfavorable terms of trade and persistently elevated prices, domestic demand remained resilient throughout a year characterized by challenging agricultural economics.
Tomás Pernías, Market Intelligence Analyst at StoneX, explained that Brazilian buyers prioritized lower-concentration fertilizers, including ammonium sulfate (AS) and single superphosphate (SSP), over more concentrated products, such as urea and monoammonium phosphate (MAP), as a cost management strategy.
"In a year of tight field margins, Brazilian buyers adopted strategies to reduce production costs. One was prioritizing fertilizers with lower nutrient concentration," Pernías said.
Substitution Pattern Emerges Across Nitrogen and Phosphate Categories
Additionally, import data reveals distinct substitution patterns in 2025. Urea imports declined 7% year-over-year, while ammonium sulfate purchases surged nearly 28%. In the phosphate segment, MAP imports fell approximately 25.7%, while SSP and NP blend imports—alternatives with lower phosphate content—advanced 22% and 31.7% respectively.
The shift toward lower-concentration products carries agronomic and logistical implications. "By opting for these products, the farmer needs to acquire more tonnes to achieve the same fertilization level, which helps explain the increase in total imported volume," Pernías noted.
Lower-concentration fertilizers deliver fewer nutrient units per tonne, requiring increased application volumes to supply equivalent nutrient quantities, compared to concentrated alternatives. This dynamic directly contributed to record total import volumes, despite relatively stable or declining consumption of certain concentrated products.
The substitution pattern expanded AS, SSP, and NP market share throughout 2025, raising questions about whether these products will maintain priority in buyer decisions during 2026.
Multiple Factors Drive Product Selection
According to Pernías, fertilizer selection involves multiple variables, including availability, prices, exchange terms, and cost-benefit ratios, always considering effective nutrient delivery per product. Pernías emphasized that lower-concentration products' 2025 prominence does not guarantee sustained market share in 2026.
"It is not possible to affirm whether lower-concentration fertilizers will maintain in 2026 the same representativeness observed in 2025. However, with the approaching US fertilization period, rumors of Chinese export suspensions, volatility in Indian negotiations, and constant risk of trade sanctions, the Brazilian buyer tends to remain attentive to opportunities, seeking to reduce costs and preserve competitiveness," Pernías added.
Economic Context Shapes Import Patterns
The 2025 import pattern reflects broader economic pressures confronting Brazilian agriculture. Commodity price weakness, elevated input costs, and unfavorable crop-to-fertilizer price ratios compressed grower margins, intensifying cost sensitivity in purchasing decisions.
Brazil ranks among the world's largest fertilizer importers, with domestic production supplying only a fraction of the agricultural demand. The country depends heavily upon imports of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash products, creating a vulnerability to international price volatility and supply disruptions.
The shift towards lower-concentration products represents a tactical response to margin pressures, trading increased freight and application costs for reduced per-tonne fertilizer purchase prices. However, this strategy's economic viability depends on relative price spreads between concentrated and dilute products, along with freight rates and application equipment capacity.
The StoneX analysis encompassed imports of ammonia, urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, MAP, diammonium phosphate (DAP), SSP, triple superphosphate (TSP), NP blends, sulfur, and potassium chloride—representing the core products in Brazil's fertilizer import portfolio.
Looking ahead, international market dynamics including Chinese export policy, Indian tender activity, and potential trade sanctions will influence Brazilian buyer behavior and product selection strategies in 2026, with cost optimization likely remaining a priority given persistent margin pressures across major cropping systems.
(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)
