A new U.S. bill introduced by Senator Roger Marshall seeks to remove countervailing tariffs and duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco to lower costs for American farmers, according to a press release.
The bill, titled “Lowering Input Costs for American Farmers Act,” was cosponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley from Iowa, Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi, and Joni Ernst from Iowa.
The call comes as American farmers face rising input costs after a 2021 countervailing duty order under the Biden administration on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco, which kept prices high, reduced supply, and limited competition.
“Phosphate is a critical nutrient for crop production, and right now farmers are paying prices that threaten their bottom line,” US Senator Marshall complained.
According to a study by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, the tariffs raised phosphorus costs by about $6.9 billion during the 2021 and 2025 growing seasons.
Senator Grassley from Iowa said the Biden phosphate duties are making things worse by limiting access to an important market for this key input and that removing them would help ease pressure on farmers and lower production costs.
The bill has already received support from major US agricultural organizations, including the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cotton Council, USA Rice, Sorghum Growers, and National Association of Wheat Growers.
They argue that the bill would give farmers more confidence in planting decisions, improve risk management, support rural communities, and ease pressure on rice farmers facing high input costs and limited supply.
Last month, US corn farmers called for removing tariffs on Moroccan fertilizers as costs rose due to the war in the Middle East and tighter global supply, especially since the US relies on Saudi Arabia for about 40% of its phosphate imports, leaving it exposed to regional instability.
The National Corn Growers Association, along with the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Soybean Association, also urged fertilizer producers Mosaic and J.R. Simplot to drop their support for duties on Moroccan phosphate imports.
According to British platform Agrosmedia, Mosaic withdrew its request in September 2024 to review tariffs on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports, as the absence of Moroccan and Russian phosphate from the US market has pushed fertilizer prices higher.
The call to remove tariffs is not new, as in 2022, more than 80 bipartisan US senators and members of Congress urged the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to eliminate the 19.97% countervailing duty on all phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco.
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