China sets a 13.65 million tonne fertilizer import quota for 2027

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) published Notice No. 47, dated October 10, on October 14, setting the 2027 fertilizer import tariff-rate quota. The total is 13.65 million tonnes: 3.3 million of urea, 6.9 million of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and 3.45 million of compound fertilizers (NPK). The in-quota tariff is 1%.

The state-trading share is 2.97 million tonnes of urea, 3.52 million of DAP and 1.76 million of NPK, to be applied for by state firms Sinochem and China National Agricultural Means of Production Group. The rest (330,000 t of urea, 3.38 million of DAP and 1.69 million of NPK) is for non-state companies.

Allocation is first come, first served. Each company’s starting amount depends on its 2026 usage: above 80% use earns 40% more; below 25% loses half. New applicants start at 2,000 tonnes and the starting cap is 500,000 tonnes. Certificates are valid for three months and applications open on December 15, 2026.

CSP take: the rules reward actual importers and penalise those who hold quota without using it. For fertilizer exporters and traders dealing with China, the key figure is the non-state share of DAP and NPK, where private buyers have room. This reading is ours, not MOFCOM’s.