The fertilizer market in 2019/2020.

During the last agricultural season 2019/20, fertilizer sales have reached 5.2 million tons of product, 3.0 per hundred higher than the figure for the previous season. The consumption of nitrogen fertilizers has decreased (-1.8%), having increased potassium (+ 3.0%), complex (+ 12.4%), and phosphate fertilizers (+30%).

The weather during the last 2019/20 season has been acceptable. Neither agriculture nor the production of fertilizers have ceased to be active during the period of confinement forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, as they are considered essential sectors. The lower commercial activity of fertilizer companies may have had an impact on demand, leading to lower potential growth in national consumption. The fertilizer supply chain has not been significantly affected and commercial distribution activity has been practically normal.

According to the latest estimates from Cooperatives Agro-alimentary (CCAE), the production of cereals in 2020 in Spain has been historic, surpassing the harvest of the year 2019 by 47.77 percent. As highlighted by the CCAE, 5 months have passed since the start of the 2020/21 marketing season and in this period the market has had a strong upward trend driven by the uncertainties of the pandemic and by the high global demand led by a voracious China , which is leading the world to dangerous food inflation and leaving the stocks of some basic products, in several of the main exporting countries, at high risk levels. The situation in Spain is not alien to what is happening in the world. Our country is one of the most important world importers of almost all grains, and the impact of strong demand on prices is also affecting us.

Expressed in terms of nutrients, sales have reached a total amount of 1,964,303 tons, having increased by 6.0 percent compared to as of 2018/19, in which 1,852,751 tons of nutrients were sold.

In the 2019/20 campaign, the approximate N: P2O5: K2O ratio of nutrient consumption in Spain was 1: 0.49: 0.40 practically the same as the average of the last five agricultural years. That is, for every 1,000 tons of N, 490 t of P2O5 and 400 t of K2O were consumed. Spain represents approximately 10 percent of European fertilizer consumption and 1 percent of world consumption.

ANFFE is a non-profit entity that includes the main national producers of inorganic fertilizers and European manufacturers with commercial representation in our country. The group of companies has a production capacity in Spain of 7.3 million tons of products, of which:

Regarding the Spanish production of fertilizers, in the agricultural year 2019/20 there has been a slight decrease of 3.3 percent, reaching an amount of 4.36 million tons of product.

The import of fertilizers, meanwhile, has been around 4.1 million tons of product. Exports have reached the figure of 2.1 million tons of product and have been destined for more than 50 countries, which shows the quality of the products and the good management carried out by the ANFFE companies, which are the main exporters.

According to the second estimate published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), total agricultural income, in current terms, reached 29,123 , 6 million euros in 2020, which represents an increase of 4.4 percent with respect to 2019. According to the Ministry, this positive evolution of agricultural income is associated with the good performance of the production of the agricultural branch, which stood at 52,919.4 million euros, which represents an increase of 2, 4 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, the increase compared to 2019 was due to an increase in both the volume produced (+1.9 percent) and a price increase of 0.5 percent.

The value of plant production increased by 3.1 percent in value, reaching 30,921 million euros, due both to the increase in quantities produced (+1.3 percent), as well as prices (+1.8 percent). Specifically, it should be noted that the value of cereal production grew very significantly, 28.9 percent, and that the value of fruit increased 12.2 percent, driven by good prices. < / p>

Official Provisions on agriculture published in 2020

Among the official provisions of interest directly related to agriculture, published in 2020, the following should be noted:

Order APA / 90/2020 on the specific payment for cotton cultivation for the 2020/2021 campaign. BOE 04.02.20

Royal Decree-Law 5/2020 by which certain urgent measures are adopted in the field of agriculture and food. BOE 26.02.20

Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical cultivation conditions, scope of application, warranty periods, subscription dates and farm insurance unit prices of citrus fruits, included in the forty-first Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 04.03.20

Order APA / 269/2020, by which the deadline for submission of the single application is extended, for the year 2020, established in the Royal Decree 1075/2014, on direct payments to agriculture and livestock. BOE 21.03.20

Resolution of March 25, 2020, ordering the publication of the Agreement to validate Royal Decree-Law 5/2020, by the adoption of certain urgent measures in the field of agriculture and food. BOE 30.03.20

Royal Decree-Law 13/2020 adopting certain urgent measures in the field of agricultural employment. BOE 08.04.20

Order HAC / 329/2020 reducing the applicable net return rates for the 2019 tax period in the objective estimation method of the Personal income tax for agricultural and livestock activities affected by various exceptional circumstances. BOE 09.04.20

Order SND / 381/2020, which allows non-professional activities of care and collection of agricultural products. BOE 01.05.20

Implementing Regulation 2020/864 establishing the import duties applicable in the cereals sector as of June 23, 2020. DOUE nº LI 197 dated 06.23.20

Decree 5/2020 of Castilla y León designating areas vulnerable to water pollution by nitrates from sources of origin agriculture and livestock, and the Code of Good Agricultural Practices. BOCyL 30.06. 20

Implementing Regulation 2020/959 establishing the import duties applicable in the cereals sector as of July 3, 2020. DOUE nº L 211 dated 03.07.20.

Implementing Decision 2020/1073, granting the exemption requested by the Netherlands in accordance with Directive 91/676 / EEC , relating to the protection of waters against pollution produced by nitrates from agricultural sources. DOUE nº L 234 dated 07.21.20.

Implementing Decision 2020/1074, granting the exemption requested by Denmark in accordance with Directive 91/676 / EEC, relative to the protection of waters against pollution produced by nitrates from agricultural sources. DOUE nº L 234 dated 07.21.20.

Action program applicable to areas declared vulnerable in relation to nitrate pollution of agricultural origin in the Balearic Islands. BOIB 01.08.20

Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical cultivation conditions, scope of application, warranty periods, subscription dates and farm insurance unit prices from dried fruits olive farms , medlar and other fruit trees , and extensive herbaceous crops , included in the forty-first Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan (BOE 05.08.20 and BOE 07.08.20).

Import duties applicable in the cereals sector as of August 12, 2020. DOUE No. L 262 dated 12.08.20.

Law 3/2020, of July 27, on the recovery and protection of the Mar Menor. BOE 17.08.20

Order 158/2020 expanding the designation of areas vulnerable to contamination by nitrates of agricultural origin in the Community of Castilla-La Mancha, and which modifies the action program applicable to designated vulnerable areas published as an annex to the Order of 02/07/2011. DOCM 02.10.20

Order of October 23, 2020, modifying the Order of June 1, 2015, approving the program of action applicable in areas vulnerable to contamination by nitrates from designated agricultural sources in Andalusia. BOJA 05.11.20 < / a>

Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical cultivation conditions, scope of application, warranty periods, subscription dates and farm insurance unit prices from agro-energy crops and fodder crops , included in the Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 05.11.20

Law 8/2020 by which certain urgent measures are adopted in the field of agriculture and food. BOE 17.12.20

Approval of the 42nd Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 24.12.20

Reference income of agricultural holdings for the year 2021 (set at 30,622.23 euros). BOE 25.12.20