Would the Farmers in your country do well if you weren't subsidized by your government?

Question

I'm just curious because in the Philippines, we don't get any help from the government and doing well in farming is an uphill battle.

Also, how much does a sack of the following fertilizers cost in your country?

a) 18-46-0

b) 48-0-0 (urea)

c) 0-0-60 (potash)

thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I can tell ya if we could get a decent price and had our inputs lowered we could but people want cheap food so i doubt any USA farmer would make it. Last quote i got for fertilizer 0-0-60 was $525 a ton, 48-0-0 $530  a ton and 18-46-0 was $700-$750 a ton, this was a few weeks ago. They are talking shortages of 0-0-60  this spring.

Answer 2

Good question, and an impossible one to prove one way or another.  It can and will be debated, but definitive proof of benefit for any government program (or lack of one) is very difficult.

Fertilizer prices are very much on the increase in the USA, up almost 200% in 6 years.  Commercial grain and livestock producers purchase fertilizer by the ton here, not by the sack.   An american ton is 2000 pounds or about 909 kg.  However to answer your question, I have these prices collected in November 2007.

DAP (diammonium phosphate, 12-46-0): $380/ton

Urea (46-0-0) $425/ton

Potash (KCl) $350/ton.

Predictions from jobbers are for prices to increase by at least 40% in early 2008.  If this holds true, fertility management will become much more significant for profit than it has in the last 2 decades

Answer 3

Never. However I have heard that in USA the govt subsidize farmers not to increase their production but to stop them from producing more!!!! In my country farmers will be lost if they were not given the subsidy for fertilizer (Urea) i cant remember the prices sorry

Answer 4

farmers in the united states could do well with out being subsidized if we could keep the input cost down and the price of grain up but as long as the goverment wants cheap food they are going to have to subsidize it i bought fertilizer in the end of december dap was 570 per ton potash was 520 per ton dont know about urea but anhydrous was 605 per ton and i know these prices have gone up but not sure how much some are speculating by spring fertilizer will be near 1000 dollars a ton