They're paying me? Well, [imagine this is written in capitals, 'cos I'm shouting] "Show me the money!". Worst sledge ever. Back to insult school for you, young man. Look - LCK was .15c, then it was 30c - hmm, then it was 15c again. None of it my fault. What were you all doing?
Pie, I am genuinely pleased to see your change of attitude towards farmers. You suggested to the last farmer who visited here, in 2019 I think it was, that the only thing s/he had ever farmed was the plants on his/her balcony. S/he was never seen again. A pity because s/he could have told you a lot about the effectiveness and problems of urea.
Anyhow, urea is a commodity and as someone rightly suggested here today, its price swings wildly. Today it is unusually high. In twelve months it could be at multi year lows. Supply and demand, mostly, just like, well just like all the agricultural commodities such as grains and livestock and wool. It's not rocket science.
Looks like LCK won't actually [ever] be selling directly to farmers. Hmm, never needed that distribution network anyway, eh! That role will be taken up by those with the offtake agreement(s). I dare say they won't see themselves as the patron saints of farmers, running some fertiliser based charity. They'll charge the market rate. It's possible that the potential of oversupply from LCK + STK + STO + IPL + imports [mostly from the Gulf states] will push prices down in a war of attrition. Somebody won't survive, probably. Huge gas producer in the Middle East, diversified Australian conglomerate with interests in many countries producing a wide range range of industrial products or plucky little battler out in the desert with a debt load approaching one third of Fiji's GDP. Above my pay grade to speculate as to who the unlucky punter will be.
Surely everybody in Australia has sympathy for farmers. Two of my step-brothers have farmed up Narrabri way all their adult lives and for them, pretty much this whole century, so far, has been very tough. One sold up and retired. The other battles on. Neither of them see urea prices as significant, compared to other factors.
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