- Yara CEO Svein Tore Holsether has confirmed that Yara is bringing ammonia to Europe from production facilities in Trinidad, the United States and Australia to support fertilizer capacity after the surge in European wholesale gas prices have caused factories within Europe to stop or curtail production
“Faced with record high gas prices, we actually have the flexibility in our system to switch off ammonia production: so rather than using European natural gas, we’re importing from our other facilities that are running at full blast,” he said. “We are bringing that ammonia into Europe so that we can maintain our fertilizer production at close to full capacity.”
Commenting on the announcement Mark Tucker, Head of Agronomy at Yara UK, has confirmed that the UK will have supplies: “It’s a relief for farmers that product is still available, but please do talk to your usual supplier as early as possible to discuss your requirements.”
“I would also encourage all farmers and their advisors to view this announcement as an opportunity to look again at your season 2021/22 cropping and nitrogen management plans. Are there opportunities to manage risk by considering spring cropping and adopt new technology to further improve nitrogen use efficiency? This will ensure that you make every kg of purchased nitrogen work harder for your business and optimise the return on investment.”
Yara confirmed it was impossible to say how long the high gas prices would last in Europe, but that it was able to supply all its customers with contracted volumes.
Concluding on the current situation Mr Holsether said: “Longer term, what we need in place is policy to make development of renewable energy more resilient and we need a more value-chain approach to the food system, which is currently so fragmented.”
Image: Mark Tucker
