Ag Independence for America calls for level playing field in US phosphate market


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Ag Independence for America calls for level playing field in US phosphate market

The Mosaic Company, the largest US phosphate fertilizer producer, has launched the nationwide campaign Ag Independence for America to help restore fair competition in the phosphate marketplace.

Ben Pratt, senior vice president for government and public affairs, says the campaign also highlights why Mosaic filed countervailing duties with the US Department of Commerce against phosphate producers from Russia and Morocco to highlight the unfair trade practices.

“What we allege, and the US Department of Commerce has issued a preliminary ruling that verifies our allegations, is that those companies have been getting subsidies from their governments that make the trade playing field unlevel,” he says.

He says the cost at which producers in Morocco and Russia can produce phosphate fertilizer is dramatically and artificially lower than the cost at which US producers can produce it.

He tells Brownfield Ag Independence for America is a platform for the US phosphate fertilizer industry to ensure the agriculture industry understands why they requested the duties.

“The health and well-being of the US phosphate producer market is critical to the long-term health of US agriculture,” he says. “We provide about half of all the phosphate fertilizers that are applied in the US now and if this ongoing unfair competition were to continue and force the United States industry out of business it would result in dramatically higher phosphate prices down the road for US farmers.”

More information can be found at agindependence.com.

Audio: Ben Pratt

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