AgroPages-Argentine agrochemical import prices up-Agricultural news

The average price of agricultural chemicals (including fertilisers) imported into Argentina rose by 47% in the first half of 2007 against the same period last year. Prices for domestic products were down by 13.1%. The Buenos Aires regional government published the figures, citing a report from a market research company, the IES. It says that prices of imports rose due to higher demand for herbicides from US suppliers following the expansion of the maize area for the new season. Imports rose by 34.4% to $596.2 million, the government says. Higher international prices, up by 31.6%, accounted for most of the rise. Volumes rose by just 2.1%.

Exports of agricultural chemicals fell by 26.9% in the first half to 182,000 tonnes, although the fall was heavily accounted for by fertilisers (down by 36.9%), the IES says. In contrast, exports were up by 15.3% in value terms to $154 million in the year to August 2007. The disparity between the figures shows an "important rise in average prices of exports". They rose in the first six months by more than half (+57.6%), according to the report.

Imports of agrochemicals into Argentina rose by 79% in the first nine months of 2007, the national newspaper, La Cronista, reports. It cites a more recent IES study. The rise is due to low energy stocks in the country, the newspaper adds.