Does the United States import or export fertilizer?
A. It depends on the nutrient. In nitrogen, the United States both imports and exports, though ends up a net importer. It is helpful to remember that some nitrogen imported to the United States is used in the production of ammonia phosphates such as DAP and MAP, which are then either utilized in the United States or exported. In phosphate, the United States annually exports about 55-60 percent of its production. The top five importers of U.S. phosphate fertilizer are China, Brazil, Canada, Australia and India. In potash, the United States imports the bulk of its domestic needs. The world’s largest potash reserves are just north of the border in Canada, the source of most potash used in the United States. Q. What about world trade? What other countries export and import large amounts of fertilizer? A. Again, each of the three nutrients is treated as a separate sector. Although nitrogen traded is the largest in volume, it is the least traded by share of production of the three nutrients,
