Table 7.—Prices' of IJ.S. potash, by type and grade (Dollars per
metric
ton of K,O equivalent) 
 
 
1983 
 
1984 
 
1985 
 
Type and grade 
January- July- 
 June December 
 
January- July- 
 June December 
 
January- July- 
 June December 
 
Muriate, 60% K20 minimum: 
Standard                          
93.56 
98.52 
106.44 
106.20 
101.99 
97.37 
Coarse                            
108.13 
104.73 
115.23 
103.33 
102.42 
87.35 
Granular                          
104.46 
99.44 
115.68 
103.97 
101.30 
78.85 
Allmuriate2                        
100.10 
99.75 
111.98 
104.86 
101.73 
88.71 
Sulfate, 50% K20 minimum               
353.19 
359.03 
374.22 
377.21 
367.24 
339.98 
' Average prices, fob. mine, based on sales. 
2Excluding soluble and chemical muriates. 
FOREIGN TRADE 
 POTASH 781 
 
PRICES 
 
 The domestic potash market was oversupplied, with ensuing low prices. Potash
prices near yearend, f.o.b. plant for domestic producers and at the U.S.
border for foreign producers, appeared to be below costs of production for
some domestic producers. The average price, f.o.b~ mine, of US. potash sales
of all types and grades decreased slightly to $140.89 per ton. The average
price was $142.71 in the first half of the 
 US. potash exports rose 16%, by ton product. The major destinations in Latin
America, which received 53% of the exports, by ton product, were Brazil,
Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Chile. These countries
represented 90% of the exports to Latin America Exports to Brazil, Colombia,
and the Dominican Republic declined slightly while exports to Chile rose
nearly 70%; to Mexico, nearly 60%; and to Costa Rica, nearly 15%. Exports
to Japan rose by 67% and to New Zealand, by nearly 37%. Exports to Canada
fell nearly 18%, and exports to India rose from zero. 
 A 5% decrease in total U.S. imports of potash was represented primarily
by decreases in muriate from the U.S.S.R and the German Democratic Republic.
Imports of muriate from Canada were essentially unchanged from that of 1984
and amounted to 94% of all muriate imports and 93%, by I(~O equivalent, of
all potash imports. Israel was the second largest source of imports, with
6% of muriate of potash imports and 
year and $138.31 in the second half. The average annual price for the three
grades of muriate fell to $96 per ton. Standard-grade muriate of potash averaged
$100 per ton, coarse-grade averaged $96 per ton, and granular-grade, which
had the greatest price decrease, averaged $93 per ton. The average annual
price for sulfate of potash declined to $353 per ton. 
6%, by K20 equivalent, of* total potash imports. 
 The remaining dumping petitions before the International Trade Commission
(ITC) were against the German Democratic Republic and the U.S.S.R. These
investigations were completed in early 1985 with determinations in both cases
that potash had not been sold for less than fair value; the preliminary findings
had called for greater than 100% antidumping duties on imports from both
countries. The countervailing duty petitions against these two countries
had been dropped in 1984 by the International Trade Administration of the
U.S. Department of Commerce because of the difficulty of the analysis. The
petitioners joined an appeal in the U.S. Court of International Trade concerning
a similar decision. The Court Opinion and Order reversed and remanded the
Commerce determinations that "...subsidies... could not be found in
countries
with nonmarket economies." An appeal by Commerce was in progress at
yearend.