Shanghai Yixin Chemical Co., Ltd.

China restored normal export declaration procedures for agricultural phosphate fertilizers on 1 September 2026, ending a suspension that had been in place since 14 March 2026. Monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP) and selected phosphate-containing compound fertilizers are again able to clear through standard export declaration channels. The change is the single most important supply-side development in the phosphate chain this quarter. The timeline 11 December 2025: Chinese phosphate fertilizer industry bodies reached a consensus to avoid scheduling phosphate fertilizer exports before August 2026, in order to prioritise domestic supply for the spring application season. 14 March 2026: Phased export controls took effect, with declarations for mainstream phosphate fertilizer grades suspended. Major producers including Yunnan Yuntianhua, Hubei Xingfa and Xinyangfeng paused export declarations. August 2026: Export volumes were repositioned ahead of the reopening — phosphate rock exports rose from effectively zero to 61,000 tonnes in the final month of the suspension. 1 September 2026: Normal declaration procedures resumed for agricultural phosphate fertilizers. Where prices sit after the reopening Domestic Chinese phosphate fertilizer prices entered the export window at elevated levels. Chinese commodity media reported MAP at RMB 4,110 per tonne in September 2026, up approximately 20.5% year on year, and DAP at RMB 8,333 per tonne, near a three-year high. A separate assessment of 55% powdered MAP on 21 September put the average at RMB 4,023 per tonne, unchanged day on day, with autumn application demand described as slow to release and compound fertilizer operating rates around 33%. The more consequential figure for exporters is the international premium. Baltic MAP quotations were reported close to RMB 1,000 per tonne above Chinese domestic levels, with the DAP spread between domestic and export markets exceeding RMB 1,500 per tonne. Disruption to Iranian phosphate fertilizer exports has tightened international availability further. Why the export window matters more than the price Declaration policy, not demand, is the effective price regulator. When declarations are suspended, product is trapped domestically and domestic prices fall; when they resume, product can chase international prices. Any phosphate forecast that starts from operating rates rather than from policy will be wrong. A wide export premium is self-limiting. The larger the gap between domestic and export prices, the stronger the incentive to re-tighten controls to protect domestic supply. Buyers should not assume the current window stays open indefinitely. Phosphate fertilizer and lithium iron phosphate are two separate demand stories. They share a mineral base but respond to agriculture policy and battery demand respectively, and they should be planned separately. Grade and category eligibility must be confirmed before quotation. Which specific products fall inside the resumed declaration channel is a factual, product-level question — not an assumption.

Boron is no longer treated as an ordinary industrial mineral. Since it was added to the United States' final list of critical minerals, boron has moved into the same policy category as phosphorus and uranium — and the supply side has begun to reorganise in response. For any buyer of borax, boric acid or boron chemicals, the change matters because it affects who controls supply and how much leverage sellers hold in long-term negotiations. What changed, and when 7 November 2025: Boron was added to the final U.S. list of critical minerals, published in the Federal Register (90 FR 50494), together with metallurgical coal, phosphorus and uranium. 8 August 2026: 5E Advanced Materials was reported to receive an US$8 million loan to expand boron production, announced as part of three critical-minerals supply-chain projects totalling US$58 million in U.S. government financing. 14 September 2026: 5E Advanced Materials signed an asset purchase agreement for the Searles Valley Minerals asset package, with closing expected in early October, subject to court and regulatory approval. The Searles Valley package includes processing plants, brine fields, an on-site cogeneration plant, a short-line railway, and the right to produce refined borates, boric acid, sodium sulfate and salt from the same dry lake bed. The buyer has positioned itself as the only U.S.-owned borate producer, with a strategic focus on boron rather than soda ash. Why the U.S. boron position matters to global buyers Three structural facts explain the significance: U.S. borate supply is extremely concentrated. In 2025 the United States had only three borate producers, all located in Southern California, two of which recover boron from brine. U.S. boric acid imports were approximately 45,000 tonnes and exports approximately 260,000 tonnes. Import dependence runs through a single country. Between 2021 and 2024, Turkey accounted for roughly 90% of all U.S. boron product imports, with Bolivia supplying about 6%. Turkey supplies approximately 89% of U.S. soda ash imports as well. Co-product coupling is real, not theoretical. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that borax, salt and sodium sulfate at Searles Lake are co-products of sodium carbonate production from the same brine. A second domestic soda ash source and a second domestic boric acid source are therefore not automatically two independent supply points. What it means for boron buyers Upstream bargaining power is shifting toward producers over the long term, as resource assets are classified as strategic and consolidated into fewer owners. Short-term volumes are unchanged. Policy designation and asset consolidation do not, by themselves, add or remove tonnes from the market; they change who is negotiating and with what leverage. Documentation and traceability gain value. When a raw material is classified as critical, buyers increasingly need supply-origin documentation for their own compliance and reporting. Diversification should be assessed by ore source, not by supplier name. Two suppliers drawing on the same brine or the same exporting country provide less resilience than their count suggests. OECD analysis has also positioned Turkey as a key hub in critical-minerals supply chains for both boron and rare earths, reinforcing the country's role as the structural centre of gravity for global boron supply. Shanghai Yixin Chemical: boron products with stable, documented sourcing Shanghai Yixin Chemical Co., Ltd. supplies sodium borate powder, borax decahydrate, borax pentahydrate, borax anhydrous, boric acid and boron chemicals for glass, fiberglass, ceramics, agriculture, metallurgy and flame-retardant applications. The company maintains multi-source procurement and Shanghai-based warehousing, and supports buyers with specification sheets, certificates of analysis and export documentation.

Chinese borax prices moved sharply higher in September 2026, diverging from a broadly weaker domestic chemical market. The SunSirs benchmark price for borax rose from RMB 5,960 per tonne on 1 September to RMB 6,480 per tonne on 22 September — a gain of 8.7% in three weeks. The benchmark for borax pentahydrate reached RMB 5,800 per tonne on 21 September, up 2.96% from the RMB 5,633.33 per tonne recorded at the start of the month. The move is unusual because it runs against the direction of the wider sector. Chinese commodity monitoring data for early September showed the majority of monitored chemical products declining, with sulfuric acid down approximately 3.6%, phosphate fertilizer down approximately 2.5%, and caustic soda down approximately 0.4%. Borax was one of the few products to post a material gain.

The food-grade segment accounted for over 28% of total potassium carbonate consumption in 2024, with projections indicating this share could reach 35% by 2032 as clean-label food additives gain prominence. Potassium carbonate serves as an acidity regulator (E501) in baked goods, a cocoa alkalizing agent, and a pH regulator in wine production and noodle manufacturing. In pharmaceuticals, it is increasingly used in effervescent tablets and potassium supplements. The global high-purity potassium carbonate market was valued at USD 688 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 731 million in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 6.50% to USD 1.07 billion by 2032. Suppliers capable of delivering certified food and pharmaceutical grades with consistent purity will capture the strongest growth in this segment.