India’s RCF urea tender draws 2.57 million metric tons in offers from 21 suppliers

India’s Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers closed its latest urea purchase tender on August 11, drawing offers totaling 2.57 million metric tons from 21 suppliers — roughly 50% more than the 1.7 million metric tons sought. The east coast attracted 20 offers for 1.37 million metric tons, while the west coast received 17 offers for 1.2 million metric tons, according to Argus Media.

Trading firms Agricommodities/ETG and Midgulf submitted the largest individual quantities at 150,000 metric tons each for both coasts. The offered volumes include typical double- and triple-counting of supply available through trading houses. Market participants had expected pricing for the India RCF urea tender to land around $370 per metric ton CFR west coast ahead of the close, though estimates were rising late in the week as renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz unsettled the outlook.

The strong participation marks a shift from earlier rounds this year. India’s April tender through Indian Potash drew bids near $959 per metric ton at the peak of the Hormuz crisis, while the June round through National Fertilizers attracted offers around $449. India remains the world’s largest urea importer, and the pricing outcome from this RCF round is widely viewed as the most important benchmark for global nitrogen trade in the third quarter of 2026.

Source: Argus Media