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Agencies

An Australian company will import 250,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser from Indonesia in the coming months, easing fears of a shortage that would crimp food production, Canberra said on Friday.
Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of crops including wheat, barley and canola but relies on fertiliser imports that are threatened by ‌the war on Iran, which has cut supply from the Middle East, a major urea producer.
The price of urea, a source of nitrogen that fuels plant growth, has risen by around 60 per cent in Australia since the war began in late February.
Many farmers now sowing winter crops are considering planting less to reduce their need ⁠for fertiliser, which even if available may cost too much. Fuel costs have also shot ‌up, adding to pressure on farm budgets.

Reduced planting or fertiliser application on planted crops would cut crop production and global supply, potentially pushing up food prices.
Australia has enough fertiliser for the coming weeks but must import ⁠around 1.3 million ⁠tonnes of urea to meet its needs during the remainder of the winter crop season, the government said.
“This guarantees supply of fertiliser to Australian farmers at this critical time,” Agriculture Minister ‌Julie Collins ‌said in a statement. “This will mean Australia can continue to play an important role ‌supporting food security in Indonesia and our region at a time of global uncertainty.”
Fertiliser hunt
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other ⁠senior ministers have visited several countries in the Asia-Pacific region in recent weeks to shore up fertiliser and fuel supplies. They have touted Australia’s role as a ‌key supplier of commodities ‌like grain and natural gas.
Albanese said the deal, which fills 20 per cent of the fertiliser needed for the planting season, was a “significant outcome for our farmers”.
“We understand how critical fertiliser is for Australian farmers, for our food production system and the food security of our region,” he said in a statement.
A third of fertiliser shipped by sea comes from the Gulf region and cannot make it to the global market.

Australia is a major supplier of food to Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia. “This deal also shows why it’s critically important that we have strong relationships with our regional partners,” Albanese said.
Indonesia’s government helped to broker the commercial deal between Australia’s largest fertiliser provider, Incitec Pivot, and Pupuk Indonesia, Australian officials said.
Incitec Pivot’s president, Scott Bowman, said “this additional volume for the period May to December, at prevailing market prices, is another critical plank in servicing the needs of Australian farmers”.
Produce from Australian farms was crucial for food security across the region, he said. “There is more work to do to ensure farmers’ requirements can be fully met this upcoming season.”
Indonesia has a surplus of 1.5 million tonnes of urea, which opens up an opportunity to export to countries including Australia, Vice Agriculture Minister Sudaryono said in a separate statement. Other nations including India, the Philippines and Brazil had also expressed an interest, he said.
Reporting by Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg


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Australia

A seeder sows wheat at a farm in Bencubbin, Australia. Photo: Reuters

Harvested wheat is loaded onto a truck for transport near Moree, Australia. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds up samples of urea granules, which are exported to Australia, during a visit to the Brunei Fertiliser Industries plant on Wednesday. Photo: AAP/Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meet at a press conference in Putrajaya on Thursday. Photo: AAP/dpa

Australia’s delegation, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Malaysia’s delegation, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, attend a bilateral meeting in Putrajaya on Thursday. Photo: AAP/dpa

Filipino farmer pleads ‘Stop US-Iran War’ after soaring fuel prices wipe out earnings

Philippine farmer Elmer Ullani spells out “Stop US-Iran War” with his cabbages after having to spend almost all of the money he had earned at the market to pay for the fuel needed to get him there and back. Photo: Facebook / Elmer Ullani

Workers change the price label of fuel at a petrol station in Manila on March 17. The Philippines imports about 90 per cent of its oil, leaving it highly exposed to global price shocks. Photo: AFP

A vendor (centre) receives payment for vegetables sold at a market in Malabon City, Metro Manila, on Monday. Photo: EPA

Myanmar’s food security in crisis as fuel, fertiliser shortages threaten fragile economy

An employee refuels a vehicle at a petrol station amid rising prices in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 20. Photo: AFP

A worker sits next to clumps of bananas displayed outside his stall at a wholesale market in Yangon on March 25. Photo: AFP

Yangon city in Myanmar, on March 12. Analysts warn that the already threadbare services across the country are under extreme pressure. Photo: EPA 

Prabowo’s overseas trips draw scrutiny as Indonesians told to work from home to save fuel

 Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto inspects the French Republican Guard upon arrival at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin bids farewell to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto following their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Monday. Photo: EPA

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (left) walks the red carpet with South Korean Minister of Climate and Environment Kim Sung-hwan after touching down at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on March 31. Photo: Yonhap/EPA

People queue for petrol at a station in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Malaysia pumps up police action at border petrol stations to curb subsidised fuel leaks

A man fills his car with RON95 petrol at a station in Malaysia on March 25. Photo: EPA

Cars park at pumps at a petrol station in Malaysia. Photo: Ivy Ong 

Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency foils an attempt to illegally transfer about 700,000 litres of diesel off Penang waters on Sunday. Photo: Facebook / Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia

News

Asia

Australasia

Southeast Asia

The deal makes up 20 per cent of fertiliser needs for the planting season in Australia, a major supplier of food to Southeast Asia


The deal makes up 20 per cent of fertiliser needs for the planting season in Australia, a major supplier of food to Southeast Asia.


Australia acts to protect winter crops with emergency Indonesian fertiliser deal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The deal makes up 20 per cent of fertiliser needs for the planting season in Australia, a major supplier of food to Southeast Asia

The deal makes up 20 per cent of fertiliser needs for the planting season in Australia, a major supplier of food to Southeast Asia