April Market Update 2025
The Big Wet (Or Lack Thereof)
Welcome to April, and like many of you, unless you’re down in Southern NSW, we’re all looking skyward, praying for that opening rain. It’s been a long time between decent drinks for some regions – back to July or August last year for a proper soaking. And in South Australia, it’s the driest we’ve seen in 15-20 years. Fingers crossed that this dry spell means we’re in for a wet winter, and after ANZAC Day, the heavens finally open up!
Chemical Update
Good news on the knockdown front. The lack of summer spraying has led to an oversupply of products like glyphosate and paraquat. We’ve seen some pretty sharp deals over the last few months, with reseller margins at rock bottom – which is a win for growers. Seriously, the prices on glyphosate and paraquat right now are as good as buying urea for $500 a tonne – that’s worth taking note of.
The “Trump Impact” – What’s the Go?
Truth be told, the full impact of Trump on chemical and fertiliser is still a bit of a question mark. The most immediate hit we’ve seen is on the Aussie dollar against the US dollar. Take a look at the chart below that represents the last month. The dollar took a dip on April 7 at the time of Trump announcing his tariffs from around 64 cents down to 60 cents over 24 hours. That means all those imported chemical actives and finished products, along with fertiliser, just got a fair bit more expensive. We saw urea jump about $50 a tonne in a few days because of it.
Google. (2025, April 16)
Sowing Supplies
For those looking at sowing products, straight Prosulfocarb is pretty much sold out. However, there’s still good availability of Syngenta’s Boxer Gold (which is a mix of Prosulfocarb and S-Metolochlor) as a solid alternative. Diuron and Metribuzin are also starting to get a bit tight. It seems like growers are slower to order this year compared to the last four years, so if you’re still not sure what you need for sowing, it’d be a smart move to reach out and at least put in a covering order for your requirements. We’re expecting a late rush once the rain hits, and demand will likely be high. As we’ve said before, the best deals are on now, and prices will likely creep up as products get harder to find.
Post-Emergent Stocks
No dramas there yet – supplies are looking good. Prices are overall lower than last year with Clethodim being the standout being at all-time lows.
Fertiliser Update
That Indian tender from April 8th has wrapped up with a total purchase of 880,000 tonnes. India was looking for 1.5 million tonnes, which suggests they’ll be putting out another tender in early May, likely keeping international FOB prices on the firmer side.
While international urea availability is a bit tight, pushing FOB prices up slightly, the rising Aussie dollar and low demand across most of Southeast Australia have kept our local prices reasonably stable for now.
It’ll be no surprise to anyone that we aren’t seeing any supply issues here in Australia at the moment. But cast your minds back to 2023 – we saw a sharp price hike and supply got very tight. Right now, suppliers have sheds full of product and are keen to make sales against new shipments that are coming in. Once they feel comfortable with their sales, we reckon prices will firm up.
Phosphate Picture
MAP pricing is holding steady thanks to decent stock levels in most ports. Globally, DAP prices are still on the rise, with a pretty significant gap opening up between DAP and MAP. If we see any strong demand here, expect supply to tighten up as suppliers have reduced import volumes over the last four months due to the dry conditions.
Summary
A big thanks to those of you who have committed to Crop Smart for your 2025 sowing needs. In a time where independent operators in the ag chem industry are becoming fewer and fewer, your support really means a lot. If you need on-farm delivery in the lead-up to or even during sowing, please get in touch. Our sales and delivery teams are out there every day getting product to you. We’re here to help you stay organised for this sowing season. Let’s hope that rain comes soon, before the next Smart Mail update, and we wish you all the best for a safe and productive run over sowing.
