Egypt overhauls nitrogen fertilizer export levy, exempts high-grade ammonium nitrate

CAIRO: Egypt ‌has revamped its export tax regime for nitrogen fertilizers, replacing a fixed export tax with a 10 percent ad valorem duty on all nitrogenous fertilizer exports, while exempting high-purity ammonium nitrate, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette ‌on Thursday.
‌The duty, calculated on ‌the ⁠FOB invoice value, ⁠does not apply to pure ammonium nitrate with a nitrogen concentration exceeding 34.2 percent, or to shipments destined for productive enterprises in Egypt’s free zones.
⁠The move comes as ‌Egypt navigates ‌a volatile global fertilizer market.
The ‌World Bank warned in its ‌April Commodity Markets Outlook that global fertilizer prices could rise by more than 30 percent in 2026 due ‌to conflict-related disruptions in the Middle East and logistical ⁠risks ⁠around the Strait of Hormuz.
The new decree replaces a flat $90-per-metric-ton tax introduced in May, tying the levy more directly to prevailing export prices, which have fallen since peaking in mid-April.
Egypt is the world’s seventh-largest exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, according to LSEG data.