How do I source commercial fertilizer internationally?

Define the product and guaranteed analysis, the purity and contaminant limits, the documentation and registration required in the destination country, packaging, annual tonnage and shipment pattern, Incoterms and destination, and payment terms. Submit that as one requirement; it is reviewed manually before any supplier is approached, and offers are returned on a comparable landed-cost basis.

What should be included in a fertilizer RFQ?

Product and analysis, tolerances, physical form and solubility, contaminant limits, CoA and SDS requirements, batch traceability, registration status, packaging and shelf life, annual tonnage, quantity per shipment and frequency, Incoterm, destination port, importer of record, required delivery schedule and payment terms.

Does SeedMatchGroup sell fertilizer or recommend a supplier?

No. SeedMatchGroup is not a manufacturer, distributor or trader, and does not publicly recommend any supplier. It structures the requirement, runs a confidential process and normalises the replies. The supply contract is signed directly between the buyer and the manufacturer.

Will you calculate my application rates?

No. Application rates and crop nutrition programmes are agronomic decisions. The volume planner works only from rates you supply. If you do not have them, engage an independent agronomist first.

Is there a minimum size?

The platform is built for commercial procurement from roughly one full container upwards, and the wider project threshold of USD 250,000 applies to capital projects. Smaller recurring programmes are still reviewed, but a regional distributor may serve them better.

Recurring input procurement

Commercial Fertilizer Procurement Center

One place to specify, document and quote a commercial fertilizer requirement — for greenhouse operators, large growers, importers, distributors, multi-farm groups and public agriculture programmes. Supplier-neutral, confidential, and reviewed by a person before any manufacturer is approached.

Direct answer

How do I procure commercial fertilizer internationally?

State the product and guaranteed analysis, purity and contaminant limits, physical form and solubility, the documentation and registration required in the destination country, packaging and shelf life, annual tonnage with shipment size and frequency, Incoterm and destination, importer of record and payment terms. Submit that single requirement for human review; qualified manufacturers are approached confidentially and the offers are normalised to landed usable cost. SeedMatchGroup does not manufacture, distribute or give agronomic advice.

Fertilizer supply and fertigation equipment are always separate requests
Application rates come from your agronomist — never from this platform
Offers compared on landed usable cost, not price per tonne
No supplier is contacted until the request is reviewed manually

Start here

Fertilizer procurement checklist

Nine sections covering specification, tolerances, documentation, registration, packaging, volumes, logistics and commercial terms.

Open the checklist

Fertilizer volume planner

Converts your own approved application rate, area, cycles and pack size into a procurement volume. It never invents an agronomic rate.

Plan volumes

Landed-cost comparator

Compare up to three quoted offers on total landed cost, cost per tonne and cost per unit of declared nutrient — from figures you enter.

Compare offers

Fertilizer cost guide

Indicative price per tonne by product and annual cost per hectare by crop, plus what freight, duty and registration add on top.

See cost bands

Annual supply RFQ

Build a seasonal or annual fertilizer supply requirement and submit it for human review before any supplier is approached.

Build the RFQ

Fertilizer manufacturer research

Use public manufacturer names as research starting points, then screen legal entity, registration, documentation, capacity and landed cost privately.

Research manufacturers

Product categories quoted through the platform

Categories describe what can be specified in a requirement. Nothing here is a product recommendation, and no manufacturer is named publicly.

Water-soluble & greenhouse nutrition

· Potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, magnesium nitrate
· Mono-potassium phosphate, mono-ammonium phosphate
· Water-soluble NPK blends and buyer-specified formulations
· Chelated micronutrients (EDTA / DTPA / EDDHA)
· Hydroponic and fertigation-grade inputs

Bulk & open-field supply

· Granular compound NPK
· Urea, ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate
· Phosphate sources (MAP, DAP, TSP)
· Potash (MOP, SOP)
· Controlled-release and coated products

Specialty & liquid nutrition

· Liquid NPK and suspension fertilizers
· Calcium and magnesium sources for corrective programmes
· Biostimulant-adjacent specialty nutrition (where registered)
· Organic-certified inputs with documentation
· Private-label and buyer-branded packaging

Eight distinctions that decide the outcome

Fertilizer or fertigation?: Fertigation is the delivery equipment — dosing units, injection pumps, EC/pH control. Fertilizer is the recurring nutrient product. They are quoted by different suppliers on different commercial terms and are never combined in one request.
Commodity or specialty?: Commodity grades compete on landed cost per tonne and freight efficiency. Specialty and water-soluble grades compete on purity, solubility, contaminant limits and lot consistency. The two follow different supplier sets and different evaluation criteria.
Specification or recommendation?: A specification states what you require and can be quoted. A recommendation decides what your crop should receive and is an agronomic judgment. SeedMatchGroup works only with the first.
Spot purchase or annual agreement?: A spot purchase prices one shipment. An annual programme fixes availability, packaging, documentation and a price mechanism across a season, and is usually where a commercial grower gains the most.
FOB or CIF?: The two are only comparable once freight, insurance, port charges, duty, inland transport and financing cost are added to the FOB figure. Compare landed usable cost, not the quoted line.
Manufacturer, trader or authorised distributor?: Each is legitimate. What matters is who issues the Certificate of Analysis, who holds the registration in your destination country, and who carries liability for a rejected lot. Ask this before price.
Registration or certification?: Registration is the legal right to place the product on the market in the destination country. Certification (organic, quality system) is a voluntary attestation. A certified product without registration still cannot clear customs.
CoA or SDS?: The Certificate of Analysis reports the actual lot. The Safety Data Sheet describes handling and hazards in general. A complete offer carries both, with the CoA referencing the lot shipped.

What SeedMatchGroup does — and does not do

Does

· Structures your requirement into a complete, quotable specification
· Reviews every request manually before supplier outreach
· Runs a confidential process with qualified manufacturers
· Normalises offers to landed usable cost and documentation completeness

Does not

· Manufacture, distribute, trade or hold stock
· Recommend products, application rates or nutrition programmes
· Connect buyers and suppliers automatically
· Approve, certify or guarantee any supplier or outcome

FAQ

Submit a fertilizer requirement for human review Fertilizer vs fertigation Registration & regulations