Potash industry achieves "three growth" in production, supply and marketing in the first half

Release time: 2024-08-23

      In the first half of this year, China's potash supply is sufficient, demand is good, and a good momentum of production, supply and sales has been achieved。This is the information from the 2024 China Potash Industry Technology Exchange Conference and molten salt energy Storage Industry Development Forum held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia on August 19。

      China Inorganic salt Industry Association president Wang Xiaofeng pointed out，当前，The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century，Changes in the world, times and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways，Regional hotspot issues keep cropping up，Under the impact of various "changes"，The safe and stable supply of food is an important basis and support for maintaining social stability and normal economic operation。As the "food" of grain, fertilizer plays an important role in maintaining national food security。The instability of the global fertilizer supply chain has a serious impact on the food security of various countries, and also has a great impact on China's potash industry。

      In recent years, the overall supply and demand of potash fertilizer in China have fluctuated greatly under the influence of various factors, but the government has continued to carry out a number of measures to ensure supply and stabilize price, and the domestic production and demand of potash fertilizer have maintained a high level, and the consumption of potash fertilizer in China in 2023 has reached the highest in recent years。According to statistics, in the past 5 years, the converted volume of domestic potash fertilizer has been stable at more than 5 million tons, and China's demand for potash fertilizer is about 12 million tons per year, and the external dependence is more than 50%。In 2022, domestic potash production enterprises Qinghai Salt Lake, SDIC Potassium, Zangge Potash, etc., actively explored the potential, and the output increased to 5.8 million tons (in terms of potassium oxide) in the year, and stabilized at 5.17 million tons in 2023, and large potash enterprises have fully demonstrated their responsibility and responsibility。Import service enterprises Zhongagricultural and Sinochem, and border trade service enterprises Tianyu Huijing, Migao Group and Beifeng Group operate international market resources, and the converted volume of potash fertilizer imports in 2023 is close to 7 million tons, which makes the potash fertilizer used for spring cultivation in 2024 effectively guaranteed。

      Wang Xiaofeng stressed that in recent years, international trade frictions and logistics problems have further aggravated the difficulty of importing potash salt, and the global supply chain crisis has not only affected the stable supply of potash salt, but also exposed the lack of independent supply capacity in this field。This is not only a matter of resources per se, but also requires policy and management support。Overseas development of potassium resources is one of the important ways to solve the shortage of potassium resources in China, and the association is also actively reporting to the relevant ministries and commissions of the state, striving to guide enterprises from the national level to orderly promote the development of overseas potassium resources, and solve the relevant problems encountered in the development process。A number of domestic enterprises actively participate in the construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the implementation of potash "going out" strategy, to seek potassium resources abroad。In recent years, China's overseas potassium resources development has also made breakthroughs。At present, the overseas "potassium search" project of Chinese enterprises involves 10 countries and regions such as Laos, Thailand, Congo (Brazzaville) and Eritrea。Several Chinese enterprises have obtained potassium mineral resources in Laos, and potassium chloride production capacity has reached 5 million tons/year。Qinghai Salt Lake, SDIC Potassium, Zangge are actively developing resources abroad, according to the existing planning and design, by 2030, China's overseas potassium resources development project potassium chloride annual production capacity is expected to reach 7 million to 10 million tons。

      Secretary of the Party Committee of Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co., LTD., chairman of the president of the Potash salt and potash fertilizer industry branch of China Inorganic Salt Industry Association, pointed out that the people rely on food and have food security in the world。China's grain output has been stable for 9 consecutive years at 1.More than 3 trillion pounds, the Chinese people's rice bowl firmly in their own hands, is the glorious mission and responsibility of potash fertilizer industry。At present, grain production increase has entered a bottleneck period, increasing yield and high yield is a national strategy, stabilizing price and market to ensure supply is the responsibility of the industry, and agricultural stable production industry can not be absent。

      In the first half of 2024, the supply of potash fertilizer in China is sufficient, the demand is good, and the physical production of potash fertilizer is 4.58 million tons, an increase of 5.6%;The import of potash fertilizer was 6.53 million tons, an increase of 24 percent year-on-year.1%;Apparent consumption of potash fertilizer was 11 million tons, an increase of 17 million compared with 2023.3%, to achieve a good momentum of potash production, supply and sales growth。Due to the fluctuation of the revenue and profit of the potash industry with the change of market prices and the decline of international market prices, the operating income of the potash industry fell by 17 percent in the first half of this year.0%, profit down 54.4%。Yun Hongwei said that the main challenges facing the future development of the industry are the sustainable development and efficient use of limited domestic resources, the response to the complex international situation of imported potash, the speed of overseas potash development and the price fluctuations under the game of market supply and demand。

      In order to ensure food security and stabilize the domestic market, potash trading enterprises have worked hard in the past three years and played the role of a large contract negotiation mechanism。In 2022, China's potash import contract price of $590 / ton CIF, that year, the highest CIF Brazil granular potassium to $1,200 / ton;In 2023, the price was reduced to 307 US dollars/ton, and this year it was reduced by 34 US dollars from 2023, maintaining the advantage of the global potash "price depression"。Yun Hongwei means，We should continue to promote the linkage between China and friendly partner countries on potash resource development and potash fertilizer trade，Form an all-dimensional and multi-tiered cooperation pattern;It is necessary to use the import of potash fertilizer from border trade to supplement the production of surrounding farmers，Stable demand peak season of domestic potash fertilizer market;The situation of potash import trade should be studied and judged，We will coordinate the total amount of imported and domestic potash fertilizer，Grasp the rhythm of imported potash fertilizer by using China's potash contract negotiation mechanism，"Two resources, two markets"。

      Sdic Xinjiang Lop Nur Potash Salt Co., LTD. Deputy Party secretary, general manager Zhang Douqun said，As the world's largest monomer potassium sulfate production enterprise，Sdic has always kept in mind "the nation's greatest"，To serve the national strategy，Ensuring food security is our mission，Adhere to scientific and technological innovation，Continuous reform and development，Rely on their own scientific and technological strength, learn from domestic and foreign experience in salt lake development，Integration of industry, university and research, multi-disciplinary collaboration，All kinds of difficulties were overcome，The world problem of preparing potassium sulfate from Lop Nur brine containing potassium magnesium sulfate subtype has been solved，Production plants with an annual output of 1.5 million tons of potassium sulfate and 100,000 tons of potassium magnesium sulfate fertilizer have been built，More than 23 million tons of potassium sulfate have been produced，To guarantee the national fertilizer supply，Food security has made a positive contribution。

      (Source: China Agricultural Information Guide network）