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NCGA and others file amicus brief to stop fertilizer tariff

The National Corn Growers Association and five other national groups are asking the U.S. Court of International Trade to overturn a decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC) to impose tariffs on phosphate fertilizers imported from Morocco.

NCGA President Chris Edgington tells Brownfield Ag News the Mosaic Company petitioned for the tariffs and has since seen its share of the phosphate market grow from 74% to 80%, a near monopoly.

“There’s been a dramatic increase of fertilizer costs to the producer and that’s not looking to end. So, it was a chance for us to say ‘hey, enough’s enough’ and we need to try to do what we can for our producers.”

To cope with the situation, Edgington says producers have several options, “One is, you don’t put fertilizer on. You just stop.”

The brief says Mosaic’s decision in 2017 to shut down two facilities caused a fertilizer shortage for US farmers in 2018 which led them to seek out supplies outside the U.S. A court decision is not expected before 2022.

The American Soybean Association, National Cotton Council, National Sorghum Producers and the Agricultural Resources Association also signed the amicus brief.  The Iowa Corn Growers weighed in with the ITC and Commerce Department in late summer.