Rock Phosphate Fertilizer Indonesia Market Analysis

What is Rock Phosphate?

Rock Phosphate is a mineral where have high content of phosphorus. Its use as a organic fertilizer in agriculture. Phosphorus is main factor for ingredient of compound fertilizer with symbol P. Many grade of rock phosphate in market now and many country have stock rock phosphate. Grade available on market now at level 27% until 32%.

Rock Phosphate in chemical symbol with P2O5 with the general specification in below:-

P2O5 : 32% min.

BPL : 70% min
CaO : 45% SiO2: 10%
MgO : 1.5%
R2O3 : 2.5%
Fe2O3 : 1%
Al2O3 : 1%
Floride : 3%
Moisture : 3% max
Type : Powder

Color : Yellow

On Indonesia, in addition to local Indonesian products, imported products are also widely circulated. Generally levels of rock phosphate imported products ranging from 27% of total P2O5. In the previous era of imported products often contain a total P2O5 > 30%, but decreased as a deposit, content standards tend to be lowered. Noted rock-phosphate type circulating named in the place of origin of products, including:
ERP (= Egyptian Rock Phosphate)
CIRP (= Christmas Island Rock Phosphate)
CRP (= China Rock Phosphate)
JRP (= Jordan Rock Phosphate)

Currently China and Christmas island not export again to worldwide due the regulation of exporting country. Indonesia also implement a national standardization for quality of rock phosphate will be come in to Indonesia. This rule must be implement by importer and exporter also.

Application of Rock Phosphate

1.Fertilizer Industry
-Direct application: phosphate rocks can be used on acidic soils where soil acidity slowly releases- plant available P.
-Fertilizer manufacturing: produce triple superphosphate(TSP) where Phosphoric acid is reacted with phosphate rock and with anhydrous ammonia to produce the ammonium phosphate (DAP).

2.Animal Feed Supplement:

to ensure optimal growth, fertility and bone development. Industrial feed phosphate production is technically pure (ortho) phosphoric acid (H3PO4) which is obtained from the apatite in a wet chemical process. Wet process phosphoric acid is prepared by adding sulfuric acid (H2SO4) to apatite or tricalcium phosphate rock.

3.Industrial Chemical:

Phosphorus from rock phosphate is also used in food preservatives, anti-corrosion agents, cosmetics, fungicides, ceramics, water treatment and metallurgy.

Rock Phosphate Market Analysis

In Sumatera Island, Rock Phosphate application as fertilizer in palm oil plantations, rubber plantations and vegetable plantations. Total area of palm oil plantation of approximately 5 million acres where one acre contain 134 trees of palm oil. The consumption of Rock Phosphate very big in this field. Palm oil trees need minimum 2 Kg of Rock Phosphate per year and palm oil plantation need 1.3 million metric ton/year.
Main players of Rock Phosphate in Sumatera: PT Multi Mas Chemindo, PT Sentana Adidaya Pratama (WILMAR Group), PT Bumi Tani Subur (Tani Jaya) and PT Rolimex Kimia Nusamas (Sinar Mas Group). They buying raw material from Egypt, Christmas Island and China and processing in their plant, packing in 50 kg pp bag and sale to plantations and local market.
Method Rock Phosphate import to belawan port:-
1.Bulk Shipment: Vessel loading rock phosphate as mineral stone which the importers carry to their plant and processing the stone with stone crushing to be powder and packing to 50 Kg PP bags
2.Bulk Shipment: Vessel loading rock phosphate in jumbo bags packing and the importer processing to re packing in their warehouse to 50 Kg PP bags
3.Container Shipment: Rock phosphate already packing in 50 Kg PP bags from the origin country.