U.S. urea exports to Canada hit record high in April
U.S. urea exports to Canada reached 144,619 tonnes in April, the highest for any month since records began in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data reported by Argus.
The volume was up 99,086 tonnes from a year earlier and ran 94,946 tonnes above the five-year average for April. The surge reflects reduced Canadian domestic production rather than any shift in trade policy.
Several Canadian nitrogen plants cut output over the spring. Nutrien carried out a turnaround at its Carseland plant in Alberta in April, while Yara scheduled maintenance at its Belle Plaine facility in Saskatchewan in late May.
The maintenance left Canadian buyers leaning on US-produced urea during the spring application window, when demand for nitrogen peaks across the Prairies and the northern United States.
The shift puts the United States on track to remain a net exporter of urea to Canada through the 2025-26 fertilizer year, reversing the more typical flow seen in some earlier periods.
Source: World Fertilizer
What to know about the US-Canada urea trade shift
US urea exports to Canada reached 144,619 tonnes, up 99,086 tonnes year-on-year and about 94,946 tonnes above the five-year April average, according to US Census Bureau data. It was the strongest month since the series began in 2008.
Canadian domestic nitrogen production fell during spring plant maintenance, forcing buyers to source more urea from the United States. It was a supply-driven shift, not a change in tariffs or trade rules.
Nutrien ran a turnaround at its Carseland plant in Alberta in April, and Yara scheduled maintenance at Belle Plaine in Saskatchewan in late May, trimming Canadian output during peak demand.
The outages coincided with the spring application window, when nitrogen demand peaks across the Prairies and the northern US Corn Belt, amplifying the need for imported urea.
The flows put the United States on course to stay a net exporter of urea to Canada through the 2025-26 fertilizer year. The direction of trade will depend on when Canadian plants return to full output.
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