Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking says disruptions to urea imports, much of which Australia sources from the Middle East, have left growers unsure whether fertiliser already ordered will arrive at all.
“Huge, absolutely huge,” Mr Hosking said of the impact of the disruption.
“Most of Australia’s nitrogen fertiliser comes from the Middle East, and we simply can’t access that fertiliser because of the conflict that’s ongoing at the moment.”
With planting under way across large parts of the state, the timing of the shortage has left farmers exposed.
Cropping farmer Cherie Freeman, who runs an operation near Corop with her husband Andrew, said she had been able to secure two loads of urea fertiliser but remained six loads short of what she needed for her next run of crops.
She said her supplier was unable to source additional urea and could not say when more might become available or at what cost.
“It’s a bit scary when you can’t source it at all, even if you had the money to pay,” Ms Freeman said.
“It’s always a gamble when you put something in the ground, but you don’t know if you’re going to be able to feed it.”
Mr Hosking said livestock producers needed nitrogen to regenerate pastures, while vegetable growers depended on it to maintain crop volumes, particularly following bushfires and other seasonal challenges.
“This couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Mr Hosking said.
“Once those crops are out of the ground, they’re going to be looking for nitrogen fertiliser to capture the yield potential that’s there in the paddock.”
“We really need [fertilisers] to be on the water now, in vessels starting to come to Australia — and we know it’s not.”
“So we know there’s going to be a shortfall.”
AdvancedAg is a farm supply retailer in Shepparton and sells urea fertilisers directly to farmers.
General manager Andrew Mann said the business was struggling to meet urea fertiliser demand amid the shortages.
“We just don’t have the same tonnages that are needed,” Mr Mann said.
“Our farmers are very worried — very concerned.”
Mr Mann said that there was uncertainty around how long the shortages would persist, with the war’s end out of sight.
“We’ve got no idea how long this will go on,” he said.
“We were hoping it might be all over in two to four weeks, but it’s still dragging on.”
The supply squeeze has already driven fertiliser prices higher, with many farmers committing to purchases without certainty they will receive the product.
“There are farmers right across the state who’ve put in orders at higher prices without 100 per cent certainty they’ll get the product,” Mr Hosking said.
He warned the impact would not stop at the farm gate.
“If the fertiliser doesn’t make it, it will flow through to the everyday consumer’s shopping basket,” he said.
“Less food and fibre produced means prices have to go higher ‒ and they will.”
Mr Hosking said the situation had again highlighted Australia’s heavy reliance on imported fertiliser and renewed calls for greater domestic production.
“This is the very crisis we were warning the government about,” he said.
“We should be thinking about producing some of these critical inputs right here on Australian soil.”
With planting decisions being made now, many growers may have little choice but to press on and hope supplies improve.
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