ANDREY TSYGANOV: EXCHANGE TRADING WILL PROVIDE PARTICIPANTS OF MINERAL FERTILIZERS MARKET WITH PARITY CONDITIONS

This conclusion was reached by experts at a meeting of the Commission for the analysis of commodity markets

On September 3, 2020, the FAS Russia held a regular meeting of the Commission for analysis of commodity markets. Experts reviewed draft analytical reports on the competitive environment of the mineral fertilizers and crude oil markets.

Experts noted that compared to 2018, in 2019 sales of mineral fertilizers increased combined with growth in prices. This point to a high consumers demand for mineral fertilizers and lack of saturation of the market, but may also indicate an increase in the needs of agricultural producers for fertilizers and the availability of financial opportunities for their purchase.

As a solution to the issue, it was proposed to expand the range of tools that allow participants of highly concentrated markets to carry out their business activities under the most transparent conditions.

“The main vector of the Antimonopoly authority's activity is aimed at creating transparent working conditions for economic entities in the markets. We believe that the formation of representative exchange and off-exchange indicators will provide parity conditions for sellers and consumers of the wholesale market of mineral fertilizers,” the Chairman of the Commission, Deputy Head of the FAS Russia Andrey Tsyganov commented.

The study of the crude oil market showed that Gazprom PJSC (including Gazprom Neft PJSC) NK Rosneft PJSC, LUKOIL PJSC, and Surgutneftegaz PJSC continue to occupy a total share of more than 70% in this market. Each of these companies occupies a dominant position and has an additional opportunity to have a significant impact on the conditions of circulation of goods in the oil market. There were no significant changes in the market structure in 2019.