Jan 16 (Reuters) – Mosaic warned on Friday that an unusually steep drop in North American fertilizer demand during the fourth quarter has weighed on its sales and cash flow, sending the company’s shares declining more than 6% in premarket trading.
Demand fell as farmers cut fertilizer use amid tight budgets, while an early onset of winter shortened the application window for the products.
Market conditions were particularly challenging for phosphates, which were less affordable relative to potash, Mosaic said.
Phosphate shipments in North America were down about 20% from a year earlier, while potash demand was only modestly weaker, it said.
The U.S. fertilizer producer reported phosphate sales of about 1.3 million tonnes for the fourth quarter, below its previous forecast of 1.7 million to 1.9 million tonnes. Potash sales of roughly 2.2 million tonnes were also lower than its prior projection of 2.3 million to 2.6 million tonnes.
In Brazil, Mosaic said tighter credit conditions and increased competition, including imports of lower-analysis phosphate from China, weighed on demand and margins, leaving fourth-quarter volumes at its Mosaic Fertilizantes unit well below plans.
Fertilizantes sales were roughly 9 million tonnes for the full-year 2025, flat year-on-year but reflected a broader downturn, the company said.
Mosaic is set to report its fourth-quarter results on February 24.
(Reporting by Sumit Saha in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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