U.S. Panel Rejects Duties on Fertilizers from Russia, Trinidad and Tobago

In a victory for farmers and a loss for the domestic fertilizer industry, the U.S. International Trade Commission has voted against imposing import tariffs on urea ammonium nitrate from Russia, Trinidad and Tobago.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) said urea imports from the two countries “do not injure the U.S. industry.” The decision comes after months of intense lobbying by farm groups and members of Congress to stop the commission from imposing tariffs on UAN.

“This comes as a welcome relief,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Chris Edgington. “We have been sounding the alarms and telling the ITC commissioners that tariffs will drive up input prices to even more unaffordable levels for farmers and cripple our supply. I am so glad they listened.”
Edgington noted NCGA had come out strongly against the tariffs. NCGA was the only commodity group that testified at ITC’s public hearing, and it forcefully raised the issue in the press. NCGA also engaged in an aggressive advocacy campaign with elected officials.

In the United States alone, fertilizer bills are expected to jump 12% this year, after rising 17% in 2021, according to data from the American Farm Bureau Federation and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Source: Reuters.com, DTN