North America

The USA accounts for 90% of fertilizer consumption in North America, Canada for 10%.

The 1970s
Fertilizer consumption in North America rose from 16.4 Mt nutrients in 1970/71 to 23.4 Mt in 1980/81. There was a substantial increase of US corn exports after the poor harvest year of 1974, with increasing demand from Europe, the USSR and certain developing countries. Credit was easily available worldwide and North American agriculture was at full production.

The 1980s
From 23.4 Mt in 1980/81, North America consumption had fallen to 20.8 Mt by 1989/90. The U.S. share of grain and oilseed trade peaked at 43% in 1980, and then fell to 27% in the 1980s. Export demand from over-indebted developing countries fell. Europe turned into a substantial net exporting region for cereals as a result of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. Fertilizer consumption was reduced as land was taken out of cultivation to reduce the agricultural surpluses.

The 1990s
By 1996/97 North American fertilizer consumption at 23 Mt had almost regained its 1980/81 level. Cash receipts from crops had increased substantially; the total farm debt and the debt-to-equity ratio had been reduced. Apart from 2000/01 when consumption fell to 21.0 Mt, due mostly to a reduction in the US maize and wheat acreage, North American consumption has subsequently remained around the 22 Mt level; it is expected that this level of consumption will be maintained.

Nitrogen use efficiency has been increasing in the United States. For example, on corn, between 1985 and 1995, the yield per unit of nitrogen, expressed in terms of bushels/lb, increased from 0.79 to 0.95. Similar efficiency improvements have been made for phosphorus and potassium.

In Canada, between 1996/97 and 1999/2000, fertilizer consumption remained at around 2.7 Mt total nutrients per annum. However, it then fell to 2.4 Mt in 2001/02, due largely to adverse weather conditions.