Documentos Association > sectoral situation > 2022-23

EVOLUTION OF THE SPANISH FERTILIZER MARKET - YEAR 2022/2023.

The fertilizer market in 2022/2023.

item During the last agricultural campaign 2022/23, fertilizer sales have reached 3.6 million tons of product, 11.1 percent lower than the figure for the previous campaign. The consumption of nitrogen fertilizers (-5.7 percent), phosphate fertilizers (-9.8 percent), potassium fertilizers (-1 percent) and complex fertilizers (-19.2 percent) has decreased.

item Expressed in terms of nutrients, sales totalled 1.3 million tonnes, down 11.5 percent compared to 2021/22, when 1.4 million tonnes of nutrients were sold.

item In the 2022/23 campaign, the approximate N: P2O5: K2O ratio of nutrient consumption in Spain was 0.77: 0.26: 0.28, practically the same as the average of the last five agricultural years. That is, for every 770 tonnes of N, 260 t of P2O5 and 280 t of K2O were consumed. Spain represents approximately 9% of European fertilizer consumption and 1% of world consumption.

item ANFFE is a non-profit organisation that brings together the main national producers of inorganic fertilisers and European manufacturers with commercial representation in our country. The group of companies has a production capacity in Spain of 7.7 million tonnes of products, of which:

subitem 6.4 million tons correspond to finished products (ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrates, urea, nitrogen solutions, superphosphates, potassium chloride, ammonium phosphates, solid and liquid complex fertilizers, suspensions, special products, and organo-minerals).

subitem 1.3 million tonnes are intermediate products (nitric acid and ammonia).

 

References to Spanish agriculture in 2023.

item The second estimate of the MAPA of the Economic Accounts of Agriculture 2023” foresees a year-on-year increase of 12.8 percent and 3,686.5 million euros in Agricultural Income in current terms, reaching 32,433.4 million and constituting a historical record. This increase has been due to the combined effect of an increase in the value of agricultural production and a decrease in the value of intermediate consumption (expenditure on inputs and services).

item Crop production has fallen by 813.2 million euros, contributing 2.8 points to the decline in income, a fall caused by the poor hydrological year that has affected all dryland production and that has not been compensated by the evolution of prices. The productions most closely linked to irrigation have performed better, with production levels similar to or higher than those of the previous year and a better price level.

item Cereal production has been severely affected by the intense spring drought this year, combined with a drop in prices, which has caused a 51.9 percent drop in the value of production.

item Intermediate consumption has experienced a decrease of 1,454.1 million euros, caused mainly by a drop in prices, mainly of energy and fertilizers.

item Among the official provisions of interest directly related to agriculture, published during 2023, the following should be noted:



Official Provisions on Agriculture published in 2023

item Correction of errors in Royal Decree 1045/2022 on basic income support rights for the sustainability of the CAP. BOE 28.01.23

item Correction of errors in Royal Decree 1048/2022 on the application, from 2023, of interventions in the form of direct payments and the establishment of common requirements within the framework of the CAP Strategic Plan. BOE 28.01.23

item Correction of errors in Royal Decree 1054/2022 establishing and regulating the information system for agricultural and livestock farms and agricultural production, as well as the regional registry of agricultural holdings and the digital agricultural holding notebook. BOE 28.01.23

item Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical conditions for cultivation, scope of application, guarantee periods, subscription dates and unit prices of citrus farm insurance, included in the Forty-Fourth Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 21.02.23

item Specific payment for cotton cultivation for the 2023/2024 and subsequent campaigns. BOE 24.02.23

item Royal Decree 147/2023 establishing the rules for the application of penalties in the interventions contemplated in the CAP Strategic Plan, and modifying several royal decrees regulating different aspects related to the application of the CAP in Spain for the period 2023-2027. BOE 01.03.23

item Order APA/204/2023 establishing and regulating the minimum content of the Autonomous Registry of Agricultural Holdings and the Digital Agricultural Holding Notebook and the chronology of incorporation of information sources in the Information System of Agricultural, Livestock and Agricultural Production Holdings. BOE 04.03.23

item Amendment to Order APA/908/2021 defining insurable assets and yields, minimum technical cultivation conditions, scope of application, warranty periods, subscription dates and unit prices of insurance for extensive herbaceous crop farms, included in the corresponding Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 29.03.23

item Maximum budget limit of the simplified regime for small farmers. BOE 22.04.23

item Reduction for 2022 of the net return indices and the general reduction applicable in the objective estimation method of personal income tax for agricultural and livestock activities affected by various exceptional circumstances. BOE 25.04.23

item Royal Decree-Law 4/2023 adopting urgent measures in agricultural and water matters in response to the drought and the worsening of the conditions of the primary sector resulting from the conflict in Ukraine and weather conditions. BOE 12.05.23

item Insurable goods and yields, minimum technical conditions for cultivation, scope of application, guarantee periods, subscription dates and unit prices of the insurance for open-air vegetable farms, for the autumn-winter cycle, included in the corresponding Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 17.05.23

item Technical details on the information system for agricultural, livestock and agricultural production farms, as well as the regional register of agricultural farms and the digital agricultural farm notebook. BOE 01.06.23

item Implementing Regulation 2023/1072 fixing for calendar year 2023 the adjustment rate for direct payments in accordance with Regulation 2021/2116. OJ L 143 dated 02.06.23.

item Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1465 providing urgent financial support to the agricultural sectors affected by specific problems affecting the economic viability of agricultural producers. OJ L 180 dated 17.07.23.

item Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical conditions for cultivation, scope of application, guarantee periods, subscription dates and unit prices of olive farm insurance. BOE 26.07.23

item Order APA/871/2023 determining the amounts, areas and affected crops related to direct aid to the agricultural sectors provided for in article 6 of Royal Decree-Law 4/2023, and the aid from the agricultural reserve provided for in article 198 of Royal Decree-Law 5/2023. BOE 27.07.23

item Insurable assets and yields, minimum technical conditions for cultivation, scope of application, guarantee periods, subscription dates and unit prices of insurance for extensive herbaceous crop farms, included in the corresponding Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 30.08.23

item Royal Decree 665/2023, which modifies the Regulations of the Public Hydraulic Domain, approved by Royal Decree 849/1986; the Regulations of the Public Water Administration, approved by Royal Decree 927/1988; and Royal Decree 9/2005, which establishes the list of potentially soil-polluting activities and the criteria and standards for the declaration of contaminated soils. BOE 31.08.23

item Announcement by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation on the approval of the "Strategy of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation for the fight against the high content of nitrates in the waters of the basin" (NITRACHE Strategy). BOE 01.09.23

item Royal Decree 1177/2023, amending various royal decrees issued for the application of the CAP in Spain. BOE 28.12.23

item Reference income for agricultural holdings for the year 2024. It is set at 34,049.72 euros. BOE 29.12.23

item Approval of the forty-fifth Combined Agricultural Insurance Plan. BOE 29.12.23

 

sectorial situation

Evolution of fertilizer production in Spain
(thousands tons)


2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
Production
Simple Nitrogens 2.257 2.168 2.078 2.024 1.713
Simple Phosphates 268 264 265 436 303
Simple Potassiums 779 710 549 753 620
Complex Fertilizers 1.149 1.241 1.321 1.332 921

TOTAL Product 4.453 4.383 4.213 4.545 3.557



Evolution of agricultural fertilizer sales in Spain
(thousands tons)


2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
Agricultural Sales
Simple Nitrogens 2.550 2.498 2.436 2.010 1.896
Simple Phosphates 236 181 147 153 138
Simple Potassiums 285 282 321 234 233
Complex Fertilizers 1.949 2.165 2.196 1.696 1.370

TOTAL Product 5.020 5.126 5.100 4.093 3.637



Evolution of foreign trade in fertilizers.
(thousands tons)


2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
Imports 3.882 4.080 4.085 3.442 3.226
Exports 2.178 1.969 2.224 2.487 2.304


Official provisions on fertilizers published in 2023

item Order TED/72/2023 developing the procedures necessary for compliance with the obligation to maintain minimum security stocks of natural gas. BOE 30.01.23

item Order APA/122/2023 specifying certain requirements and conditions relating to State aid for the increase in farmers' costs for the use of fertilizer products. BOE 13.02.23

item Public information on a draft European standard related to CTN 142, which has been processed as a UNE draft standard by the Spanish Standardization Association, corresponding to the month of January 2023 (BOE 13.02.23):

subitem PNE-prEN 12579. "Amendments and growing media. Sampling".

item Delegated Regulation 2023/409 amending Regulation 2019/1009 as regards the minimum calcium oxide content of simple solid inorganic macronutrient-based fertilisers. OJ L 59 dated 24.02.23.

item Regulation 2023/419 implementing Article 8a of Regulation 765/2006 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and its involvement in the Russian aggression against Ukraine (measures against Belarusian Potash Company). OJ No L 61 dated 27.03.23.

item Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2023/707 amending Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 as regards hazard classes and the criteria for classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. OJ No L 93 dated 31.03.23.

item UNE standard related to CTN 142 approved in April (BOE 16.05.23):

subitem UNE-EN 15749:2023 "Fertilizers. Determination of sulphate content using three different methods"¯.

item Regulation 2023/962 amending Regulation 2021/1448 as regards the conditions of approval of the low-risk active substance calcium carbonate and limestone and Regulation 540/2011. OJ L 129 dated 16.05.23.

item Regulation (EU) No 2023/956 establishing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. OJEU No L 130 dated 16.05.23.

item Directive 2023/959 amending Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading and Decision 2015/1814 establishing a market stability reserve for the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme. OJ No L 130 dated 16.05.23.

item Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Ensuring the availability and affordability of fertilisers’. OJ C 184 dated 25.05.23.

item Royal Decree 445/2023 amending Annexes I, II and III of Law 21/2013 on environmental assessment. BOE 14.06.23

item Implementing Decision 2023/1319 amending Implementing Decision 2020/2126 in order to review Member States' annual emission allocations for the period from 2023 to 2030. OJ L 163 dated 29.06.23.

item Royal Decree 529/2023, amending Royal Decree 506/2013 on fertilizer products. BOE 07.07.23

item Order ICT/744/2023, regulating the bases of the line of aid for the compensation of additional costs due to the exceptional increase in natural gas prices. BOE 10.07.23.

item Correction of errors: BOE 12.07.23

item Public information on a draft European standard related to CTN 142 processed as a UNE standard, corresponding to June 2023 (BOE 11.07.23):

subitem PNE-prEN 17836. Fertilizers. Description of the forms of the physical unit.

item Expansion of the budget of the Aid Program for energy efficiency actions in SMEs and large companies in the industrial sector. BOE 31.07.23

item Decision 2023/1575 on the quantity of allowances to be issued for the Union as a whole in 2024 under the EU emissions trading scheme. OJ L 192 dated 31.07.23.

item Delegated Regulation (EU) No 2023/1605 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1069/2009 as regards the determination of end points in the manufacturing chain of certain organic fertilizers and soil improvers. OJ L 198 dated 08.08.23.

item European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2023 on the Commission Communication entitled ‘Ensuring the availability and affordability of fertilisers’. OJ C 283 dated 11.08.23.

item Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 as regards digital labelling of EU fertilising products’. OJ No C 293 dated 18.08.23.

item Case T-126/21: Judgment of the General Court of 5 July 2023 "Nevinnomysskiy Azot and NAK Azot v Commission [Dumping Imports of ammonium nitrate originating in Russia - Definitive anti-dumping duties - Request for review due to expiry of the measures. OJ No C 296 dated 21.08.23.

item Judgment of the Court of Justice. Grupa Azoty, Azomures, Lipasmata Kavalas v EC. Appeal concerning certain State aid measures under the greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme. Exclusion of the fertiliser and nitrogen compound manufacturing sector. OJ No C 321 dated 11.09.23.

item Corrigendum to Delegated Regulation 2023/1605 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1069/2009 as regards the determination of end points in the manufacturing chain of certain organic fertilizers and soil improvers. OJ L 226 dated 14.09.23.

item Directive 2023/1791 on energy efficiency and amending Regulation 2023/955. OJ No L 231 dated 20.09.23.

item Public information on draft European standards related to CTN 142 that have been processed as UNE draft standards, corresponding to the month of September 2023 (BOE 06.10.23):

subitem PNE-prEN 1482-1 Fertilizers, limestone amendments and inhibitors - Sample collection and preparation - Part 1: Sampling.

subitem PNE-prEN 1482-2 Fertilizers, limestone improvers and inhibitors - Sample collection and preparation - Part 2: General provisions for sample preparation.

subitem PNE-prEN 1482-3 Fertilizers, limestone amendments and inhibitors - Sample collection and preparation - Part 3: Sampling of static piles.

item Corrigendum to Regulation 2019/1009 laying down rules for the making available on the market of EU fertilising products, amending Regulations 1069/2009 and 1107/2009, and repealing Regulation 2003/2003. OJEU L 16.10.23

item Case C-554/23 P: Appeal brought on 4 September 2023 by Fertilizers Europe against the judgment of the General Court (Case T-126/21, Nevinnomysskiy Azot and NAK «Azot» v Commission) OJEU C 23.10.23

item Implementing Regulation 2023/2441 laying down rules for the implementation of Directive 2003/87/EC as regards the content and format of climate-neutrality plans necessary for the granting of free allocations of emission allowances. OJEU L 03.11.23

item UNE standards related to CTN 142 approved by the Spanish Association for Standardization during the month of October 2023 (BOE 08.11.23):

subitem UNE-EN 12580:2023. "Soil and growing media amendments - Determination of the quantity"¯. Replaces UNE-EN 12580:2014.

subitem UNE-EN 15238:2023. "Soil and growing media amendments - Determination of the quantity for materials with particle size greater than 60 mm"¯. Replaces UNE-EN 15238:2007.

item Resolution of the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity, by which the criteria for the evaluation of research activity are published. BOE 16.12.23



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