Egyptian fertilizer traders secured approximately 15% of a major international tender issued by India to import around 2.5 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers in June, aiming to meet domestic market needs and bolster its fertilizer reserves, according to four traders and officials at Egyptian fertilizer factories who spoke to Asharq News on condition of anonymity.

This comes at a time when some Indian urea producers have halted operations at several of their plants, bringing forward their annual maintenance schedules, due to the suspension of liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies from Qatar last March.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the primary feedstock for urea production, and gas supplies to India's fertilizer industry currently cover about 70% of its needs.

Six companies are supplying 350,000 tons of fertilizer to India. The head of a fertilizer factory in Egypt stated that fertilizer traders have contracted with six local fertilizer companies to supply the required quantities, amounting to approximately 330,000 to 350,000 tons. He identified the companies as Abu Qir, Mobco, Egyptian Fertilizers, Helwan, KIMA, and Alexandria.

He added that Abu Qir, Mobco, and Egyptian Fertilizers secured contracts to supply approximately 240,000 tons, while Alexandria, Helwan, and KIMA secured contracts for about 100,000 tons.

Egypt produces approximately 17.9 million tons of fertilizer annually, distributed between 6.7 million tons of urea and 7.8 million tons of nitrogen fertilizers, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Regarding prices, an official at the Alexandria Fertilizer Plant explained to Asharq that the price of a ton of urea in this tender ranged between $850 and $880, driven by a shortage in the global fertilizer market due to the shutdown of major production centers in the Gulf and Iran as a result of the Iran-Iraq War and the current political uncertainty.