Update on Fertilizer Prices

[charliep]

How does the below sound relative to what you are paying?

Urea - $600/tonne
Phosphate - $800/tonne.
Anahydrous - $1000/tonne

[Klause]

My locked in prices from a month ago were
$510 urea
$768 S15

[parsley]

charliep, chat me some fert talk...bs....how was the trip? ;~O My humour today. Missed ya. LOL

[charliep]

Trip was excellent. Vietnam for those who don't know (vacation). A part of
the world on the move. Large and growing economy. Young population.
Good work ethic and desire to suceed. Still the developing world so lots of
challenges.

Saw rice being harvested. Some with a sickle but quite a bit with a small
combine. Interesting their trucks were 110 cc scooters with a 25 kilo bag
of rice strapped across the seat. Harvest 3 times per year with newer
varieties/agronomics closer to 4 times.

Will stop here otherwise will rant on about my trip.

[parsley]

Have a sip of saki and tell us more. Were you bad?

[parsley]

My bad!!! You were naughty. lol

[parsley]

One of the things I was interested in charliep, was beer. I was hoping you'd drank a few beer and tell us what they wer like. LOL

From what I read, Vietnam is quickly becoming beer drinkers. Young people. Beer sales. Malt barley. Canada. Farmers. Higher price.

[charliep]

Actually very good beer (or bia there). About $1 per 500 ml bottle. Even have 25 cent/glass beer in some of the small stores along the road.

[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZzmSvJulLY&NR=1"] bia hoi corner[/URL]

A sign of age is being able able to remember 25 cent/glass.

[RShields]

I find the price of beer is like a cost of living index when traveling. If you avoid the world class chain hotels and the tourist you must have felt you had won the lottery.
When I started going to the bar in BC in the early 70's beer was 2 fer 42 cents. No one ordered one. Coincidentally gas was 43 cents a gallon. Not very up on the price of beer but is that not close today?
I believe NH3 was about 16 cents including all equipment in the mid 70's.
You know your getting old when you remember kids being respectful and politicians being honest.
Barley price must be a concern when beer is 2 bits.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Charlie. Did you try any street food?

[charliep]

I did - just carefull to make sure you can see cooked. Food anywhere from $2 (soup or called Pho there) to about $4 for a good meal (locals may have had a different price). The $2 beer was restraunt by the way. Buy from a local store and more like 50 cents. Should note my comments are from a rich tourists eyes and not a local with low income. they work hard every day to meet their basic needs of food and shelter. Includes the people who were always trying to sell you stuff - didn't buy stuff always but treated them fairly/understood they were just trying to make a buck/put food on the table.

Food was amazing there. Markets were not up to North American standards of cleanliness but everyone eats healthy fresh vegetables, rice and noodles everyday - not the processed stuff/junk food we eat. Just enough meat in dishes to give flavor but not more.

Back to fertilizer - did the calculation on nitrogen and came up with about $1.25/kg (57 cents/pound) actual N.

[charliep]

On your relationship between barley and cheap beer - what does barley contribute to beer cost here? Sin taxes? Advertising?

Suspect limited tax on beer in Vietnam. Didn't get into any conversations about food inflation/other issues but is a concern being raised at least in the English version of papers there. Interesting, there was at least one article on agriculture/its issues everyday in the English version of their national paper.