Bunge closes fertilizer production plant in Argentina

U.S. agribusiness company Bunge has closed its ammonia and liquid fertilizer production plant in Campana, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The facility had operated for more than 50 years, and employees were informed of the closure on October 26, 2026. The shutdown resulted in the loss of 137 permanent jobs, while the employment of approximately 113 contractors providing maintenance and other services was also put at risk.

The plant specialized in the production of ammonium thiosulfate, marketed under the SolMix brand, as well as potassium thiosulfate. It also produced ammonia for its own processing needs, selling surplus volumes to third-party buyers, including customers in Uruguay. Urea production at the site had been discontinued nearly a decade ago. The Argentine cooperative group ACA accounted for approximately 17.5% of the plant’s output.

Sources close to Bunge cited aging equipment, technological limitations, changing market conditions and shifts in raw material supplies among the main reasons for the closure. Meanwhile, trade union representatives linked the decision to stronger competition from imported fertilizers, particularly Chinese products, as well as rising sulfur prices and shortages caused by the war in the Middle East. Bunge had not issued an official statement explaining the closure at the time of publication.

Before the permanent closure, the plant had been idle for approximately six weeks due to scheduled maintenance. The chemical and petrochemical workers’ union in the Zárate-Campana region filed a complaint with the provincial labor ministry, calling for intervention and the resumption of production.

The plant’s closure could increase Argentine farmers’ dependence on imported liquid sulfur-based fertilizers. Amid changes in the global fertilizer market and rising costs of certain raw materials, the loss of domestic production creates additional risks for the agricultural sector’s fertilizer supply.

Tags: Bunge, Argentina, fertilizers