DES MOINES, IA — Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Kathy Castor (FL-14) today sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to protect American farmers and fertilizer producers from supply chain disruptions the Chinese Communist Party is using to gain leverage over American agriculture.
“Iowa farmers shouldn’t have to outbid Communist China for American-made inputs in their own backyard,” said Rep. Nunn. “Adding fertilizer minerals like phosphate and potash to the U.S. Critical Minerals list was the first step. Now, I’m asking the Administration to work with us on a whole-of-government strategy to secure our fertilizer supply chain and give Iowa producers the certainty to plan for next season.”
The Chinese Communist Party is using export controls and its position in global commodity markets to gain leverage over the inputs American agriculture depends on. Chinese-linked companies are buying up American-produced sulfur, a key ingredient in phosphate fertilizer, at elevated prices while Beijing bans exports of its own sulfuric acid. The result is greater pressure on domestic supplies and another potential vulnerability for American farmers already facing high input costs.
In the letter, the lawmakers called on Secretary Rollins and Trade Representative Greer to develop a fertilizer supply chain security strategy that treats domestic production as a strategic priority and confronts the geopolitical risk and commodity manipulation the CCP is using against American producers.
“Hardworking American farmers, workers and families are depending on the Administration to ensure farmers can access the fertilizer they need, at prices they can afford,” said Rep. Castor. “The Chinese Communist Party has demonstrated a willingness to exploit global commodity disruptions to advance its strategic interests at the expense of American producers and consumers. We need to act now to protect our supply chain from bad actors who send costs skyrocketing.”
The full letter can be found here.
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