China’s total phosphate rock imports reached 340,700 metric tons in January–February 2026. Among this, unground phosphate rock accounted for 338,000 metric tons, or 99.2% of the total, while ground phosphate rock imports stood at 2,752 metric tons. On a monthly basis, imports were 243,900 metric tons in January and 96,800 metric tons in February, showing a clear downward trend month-on-month.
The average import price of phosphate rock during the January–February period was $84 per metric ton, down by $14 per metric ton (a decline of 14.3%) from $98 per metric ton in December 2025.
Key Import Sources
The main source countries for unground phosphate rock were Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan. Jordan supplied 245,500 metric tons, Egypt 78,800 metric tons, and Pakistan 13,700 metric tons, together accounting for 99.6% of total unground imports. Ground phosphate rock was sourced almost entirely from Egypt, with imports of 2,752 metric tons.
Major Import Regions
In terms of domestic destinations, Guangxi led with 226,200 metric tons, followed by Zhejiang with 94,800 metric tons and Shandong with 8,100 metric tons.
Outlook for March
In March 2026, most phosphate mines in Hubei Province continued their suspension from production, limiting domestic supply. Concurrently, peak-season demand for spring plowing has been released, and downstream enterprises are showing strong purchasing intentions. Driven by high operating rates in the ferrous lithium phosphate and lithium iron phosphate sectors, the capacity utilization rates for wet-process purified phosphoric acid and industrial-grade monoammonium phosphate have increased significantly, fueling a marked rise in demand for high-grade phosphate rock.
Against this backdrop of constrained domestic supply, the import growth trend is expected to continue. Longzhong Information forecasts that phosphate rock imports in March will expand further to support the stable operation of the downstream industrial chain.
