have a question, folks: can I pay for urea or DAP in USDT, BTC or even ETH? It’s not a joke anymore. The first crypto-denominated fertiliser deals are already happening. Why? - Difficulties with cross-border payments, - Restrictions from sanctions and tariffs, - The need for

When I started in the fertiliser business back in 1994, there were no smartphones, no Bloomberg terminals, no WhatsApp groups flashing CFR Brazil prices. We had fax machines, long-distance phone calls, and piles of paper. A trader back then was half detective (finding

Why am I writing about gold today instead of fertilisers? First of all, because gold is not just a shiny abstraction in my family. My wife designs jewellery, so for her it’s the raw material of her craft. Naturally, I follow the gold market as well, since from time to time I get

Just wrote about my experience with gold last Friday, and today gold has already broken all historical records — over $4,000/oz. Historically, gold tends to rise when uncertainty grows, when the world braces itself for major turbulence, and when investors look for a safe haven.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, India became the stage for one of the biggest fraud cases the fertiliser industry has ever seen. It’s known as the Urea Import Subsidy Scam - a scheme that intertwined government subsidies, fake paperwork, recycled cargoes, and human ingenuity

The world is round. Today someone depends on you - for a shipment, a payment, or a decision. Tomorrow it might be the other way around. In trading, I see it all the time: yesterday you helped someone meet a deadline, and today that same person saves you from a penalty or a

Earlier this week, during a conference call with one of our potential clients, we were asked a question: “What’s GG Trading’s competitive advantage compared to big companies like ABC or XYZ?” Before answering, my friend and business associate Daniil Golubev posed a

So India is at $402 per metric tonne CFR WCI. East coast is even lower - but let’s leave that playground to the Chinese suppliers. Who might be tempted to sell at these levels? AG suppliers: would probably say yes. Russians: probably no. Because $402 CFR translates into roughly

If you ask me for one word to describe the recent Argus Lisbon conference, I would name it without thinking twice - it’s CBAM. People paid money to come and learn more about it, but no clarity followed. Everyone spoke about CBAM - producers, traders, consultants, even port

Good friends at Dangote have announced further expansion in Nigeria and Ethiopia. The same is happening in Indonesia. Are we entering another urea oversupply cycle? t.me/let_him_fertil… #imstory #sustainability #fertilisers #fertilizers #carbon #europe #eu #CBAM #pricing

We work everywhere. And always. I still remember the good old times - before mobile phones, when going on vacation didn’t mean “working from another country”. Back then, the first thing I did after checking into a hotel was to ask for a fax machine. I’d immediately send the

First time in Shanghai - and my first visit to China in 15 years. I’ve travelled a lot, but Shanghai truly takes your breath away. It’s not just a city - it’s an ecosystem that moves, builds, and reinvents itself every second. What’s even more impressive is when you start to

Just back from the Argus Shanghai Conference, and let’s be honest - China is back on the fertiliser map, loud and unapologetic. After a few years of relative silence, 2026 already smells like an export season worth watching. The mood? A mix of curiosity and quiet confidence.

We’re now just a week away from the next Indian urea tender, this time organised by IPL - and it’s about time to ask the big question What will be the L1 price? #imstory #fertilisers #fertilizers #market #analysis #israel #iran #ethiopia #mexico #russia #ukraine #ag #china

On 14 November, the White House quietly made a very loud move: the United States has exempted nearly all major fertilisers from the reciprocal tariffs introduced earlier this year under Executive Order 14257. For the global fertiliser market, this is not a minor administrative

The long-awaited draft CBAM benchmarks have finally leaked out of Brussels, and they are already reshaping the game for anyone trading fertilisers into the EU. After going through the document, one thing becomes clear: the benchmarks are higher than many expected. And when

Once upon a time, fertiliser trading had a rhythm. You bought ahead of the season. You used during the season. In summer you watched the price, waited for a pullback, built a small buffer. Then, step by step, you restocked closer to the next campaign. Simple. Predictable.

It’s been a tough and sad week, so here’s a bit of trading humour for you before the weekend: A farmer walks up to a trader and asks, “Can you hedge my potato crop using uranium futures?” The trader replies, “Sure… as long as your potatoes are radioactive!” #imstory

AI sounds to be all around the place these days. I’ll be honest: to me the whole “AI revolution” looks funny when you look at our industry. In tech, they’re shouting that robots will take over trading floors, algorithms will replace humans, and the future is basically one big

European gas is back below the magic 30 €/MWh line. Traders are already whispering: “Great, EU nitrogen will restart, problem solved.” Not so fast. Over the last three years, gas in Europe was not just a feedstock – it was a risk lesson written in very expensive letters. CFOs