During 2010-2012, the world ammonium nitrate (AN) production grew by around 3.8% annually. It increased from nearly 42.79 million tonnes in 2010 to more than 47.35 million tonnes in 2012. As of 2012, Europe dominated the world AN market in terms of production with the total AN production volume in the region going beyond 24.7 million tonnes. In 2012, the combined share of the top five AN producing countries (namely Russia, the US, China, Poland and Ukraine) was almost 59%.
Global AN production broken down by region, 2012
EuroChem, Uralchem OJSC, Borealis, Incitec Pivot, Acron Group, Yara, Orica, GrowHow UK Ltd, Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy SA, SIBUR Minudobreniya, “AZOT” Cherkassy and Navoiazot PA are among the leading AN manufacturers in the world.
In 2012, the global production capacity for ammonium nitrate climbed to 57.53 tonnes. Europe accounted for the largest chunk of the overall capacity, followed by Asia-Pacific and North America.
Global AN capacities broken down by region, 2012
There was an upward trend in consumption of AN between 2010 and 2012, and in 2012, it exceeded 47.3 million tonnes. Europe held 45% share of total AN consumption, followed by Asia-Pacific and North America with 22% and 18% shares, respectively. The fertilizer industry was the major end user; every year the industry consumes around 73% of all ammonium nitrate produced worldwide.
In 2012, the international trade in AN surpassed the USD 3.34 billion in value terms. In the same year, Europe was the leading AN exporter, whilst Asia-Pacific imported the largest amount of the product.
The growth in the worldwide AN market is poised to gain traction in the years ahead, driven mainly by the constantly increasing demand from the major application sectors, along with scheduled AN capacity additions across the globe. In 2017, the global AN production is projected to surpass the 61.89 million tonnes mark.
More information on the AN market can be found in the in-demand research study “Ammonium Nitrate (AN): 2014 World Market Outlook and Forecast up to 2018”.