US to review tariffs on Moroccan, Russian phosphate fertilizer imports

The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to begin tariff reviews in March that could lead to the termination of anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed in 2021 on certain phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia, according to industry and policy sources.

The duties were introduced following a complaint filed by U.S.-based fertilizer producer Mosaic, which alleged that phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia caused material injury to the U.S. market.

In February 2021, the Commerce Department issued final determinations imposing a countervailing duty of 19.97% on imports from Morocco’s OCP Group, 47.05% on Russia’s Phosphorit Industrial Group, and 9.19% on Russia’s Apatit. An additional duty of 17.20% was applied to exports from all other Russian producers.

According to the British platform Agrosmedia, Mosaic withdrew its request in September 2024 for a review of tariffs on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports, while maintaining its request regarding Russian imports. The platform reported that the absence of Moroccan and Russian phosphate products from the U.S. fertilizer industry has contributed to higher fertilizer prices, a concern raised by several U.S. lawmakers.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley said during a Senate session in October that removing countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate would immediately reduce input costs for American farmers.

A recent report by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University found that the countervailing duties imposed on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports led to higher fertilizer prices and placed significant additional costs on U.S. farmers over multiple growing seasons. The report was prepared at the request of Republican Rep. Pat Fallon.

The study concluded that the tariffs tightened supply in the U.S. market and increased prices of diammonium phosphate, one of the most widely used phosphorus fertilizers in American agriculture, by about 30%.

The center estimated that the countervailing duties increased phosphorus fertilizer supply costs for U.S. producers by approximately $6.9 billion between the 2021 and 2025 seasons, with the largest annual financial impacts recorded during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 marketing years.

The report noted that the duties were imposed at a time when the U.S. phosphate market was already fragile, citing decades-long declines in domestic phosphate rock production alongside rising fertilizer use.

As a result, the United States has become increasingly dependent on imports. Before the tariffs were imposed, Morocco supplied a significant share of U.S. phosphate imports, while domestic production remains highly concentrated, with a single company accounting for roughly three-quarters of total U.S. output.

While imports from Peru have largely replaced Moroccan supplies since the tariffs were imposed, the report warned that heavy reliance on a single foreign supplier carries risks and does not eliminate the price effects caused by restricting trade with a major global producer.