Fertiliser: An Expensive Waste Of Time?
An interesting story on Bloomberg today reveals that German sales of potash and phosphate in the 2008/09 marketing year (July/June) were the lowest since just after the war!
Sales of nitrogen also fell sharply as cash-strapped German farmers voted "Nein" to the highest fertiliser prices in history in 2008.
Potash sales slumped 65%, phosphate sales by 45% and nitrogen sales by a slightly more modest 15%, says the report.
The fertiliser manufacturers aren't going to like that. Particularly when somebody like me points out the fact that German production of wheat was hardly affected at all and output of barley and rapeseed actually increased, in the case of rapeseed by around 19 percent!
The story sadly falls short of mentioning that the fertiliser boys are pointing out that demand this year has however been phenomenal, they are literally down to the last couple of loads in fact, and if you don't book it now you definitely won't get it. Schnell, schnell.
Bloomberg story here.
Right, how long before the first email arrives telling me that it's OK to skip a season, but you try skipping two and you're in big trouble? And anyway we don't care 'cos we've only got a couple of loads left anyhow....etc.
Sales of nitrogen also fell sharply as cash-strapped German farmers voted "Nein" to the highest fertiliser prices in history in 2008.
Potash sales slumped 65%, phosphate sales by 45% and nitrogen sales by a slightly more modest 15%, says the report.
The fertiliser manufacturers aren't going to like that. Particularly when somebody like me points out the fact that German production of wheat was hardly affected at all and output of barley and rapeseed actually increased, in the case of rapeseed by around 19 percent!
The story sadly falls short of mentioning that the fertiliser boys are pointing out that demand this year has however been phenomenal, they are literally down to the last couple of loads in fact, and if you don't book it now you definitely won't get it. Schnell, schnell.
Bloomberg story here.
Right, how long before the first email arrives telling me that it's OK to skip a season, but you try skipping two and you're in big trouble? And anyway we don't care 'cos we've only got a couple of loads left anyhow....etc.
