The Chinese government has asked exporters to halt outbound shipments of nitrogen-potassium fertilizer blends.
This was a sudden move, today, done without explanation - yet.
It will IMMEDIATELY affect farmers and food production, worldwide.
People familiar with the situation said the latest directives have effectively paused overseas shipments of most fertilizer types, including compound varieties that had still been moving abroad after China loosened some urea limits last year.
One key exception is ammonium sulfate, which accounted for about half of the country's fertilizer shipments last year and remains unaffected for now.
The National Development and Reform Commission, the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The tightening comes as the Middle East conflict disrupts fertilizer production and trade flows from a major global hub, driving prices higher worldwide. In China, spot prices for urea — the most widely used nitrogen fertilizer — have climbed nearly 40% since US-Israeli attacks in Iran began, according to Green Markets data.
Farmers from the US to Asia and Europe have been moving to secure supplies, while Indian officials recently approached China to request some urea cargoes as the war curbs gas supplies and pressures domestic production.
