Demand for fertiliser is up, as is to be expected at this time of the year. Covid-19 may also be leading to farmers increasing orders. Plants are busy keeping fertiliser bagged, but there are plenty of stocks in the country.During the week ending March 15, 2020, AgriLand spoke with a number of fertiliser merchants around the country regarding price and demand.[also-read url="https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/fertiliser-prices-merchants-still-expect-a-price-increase/" title="Fertiliser prices: Merchants still expect a price increase"]Some fertiliser merchants stated back in mid-March, that there had yet to be an increase in either price or the demand for fertiliser in 2020 so far.However, as predicted, the final weeks of March have seen a huge hike in demand, with one merchant describing the rise as 'inevitable'.

Current prices

Over the past week, AgriLand conducted a round-up of fertiliser prices and compared these figures to earlier in the year when merchants reported low levels of demand.[colored_box color="green"]The prices listed below are are on a per-tonne basis, when sold in 500kg bags. Bulk buying may result in cheaper prices; prices may also vary depending on delivery and the speed of payment.[/colored_box]Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) is selling for €235-250/t; while CAN plus sulphur is roughly €10-15/t more - ranging from €245/t to €265/t.Urea has been reported to be trading at €325-345/t; with delivery reportedly ranging from €10/t to €15/t extra.Compounds such as 18-6-12 are trading for €330-350/t in some places; with pasture sward products, 27-2.5-5, costing approximately €335/t. A cut sward product - 24-2.5-10 - is slightly more at €340-345/t on average.

Merchant's comments

Having spoken to merchants back in mid-March, AgriLand gathered that the fear among suppliers was that demand would increase drastically over a short period of time and that everyone would come looking for fertiliser at the same time.One fertiliser seller informed AgriLand this past week that this has in fact been the case saying: "It's mad busy, everyone is looking for it at once.

Plants are finding it hard to cope with the demand at the moment. They have the raw materials, but bagging is slow.

Last month, this same fertiliser supplier highlighted that plants would become "snowed under" very easily if demand shot up, which is what has inevitably happened.The assumption is that customers are now precautionary buying, with uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic likely to be a contributing factor; to which suppliers have responded by emphasising that raw materials are not in short supply.

Huge demand for fertiliser

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