IARN — The United States International Trade Commission last week determined cheap fertilizer imports may harm U.S. fertilizer producers. The commission says cheap phosphate fertilizers imported from Morocco and Russia are allegedly subsidized by their governments. As a result, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue with its countervailing duty investigations. The investigation could lead to import duties on the fertilizers.
However, farm-state Senators disagree with the investigation. In a letter to the Department of Commerce last week, a group of Senators stated, “U.S. farmers depend on affordable phosphate fertilizers to produce a variety of crops.” Led by Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran (More-ran), the group notes the current economic downturn, saying, “it is especially important during this downturn in the agricultural economy to avoid imposing unnecessary duties that will limit fertilizer supply options and raise the cost of production for farmers.”
Senators from Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Mississippi, and Texas joined Moran on the letter.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
