Ravensdown fertiliser says its Awatoto works, south of Napier, which supplies superphosphate to the whole of the North Island, is working three shifts a day for much of the week to meet rising demand.
"Sales have been strong throughout the financial year and they are continuing to climb," said group marketing manager Alan Thomson.
Fertiliser sales in Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Northland have been higher than expected and there has been a substantial increase in shareholder numbers because of farmers in those areas joining the Ravensdown cooperative.
Two years ago, the Christchurch firm expanded its business into those regions in an effort to gain a bigger market share.
Ravensdown and Bay of Plenty Fertiliser, based at Mt Maunganui, each control some 45 per cent of the national fertiliser market.
But they have been battling head-to-head for dominance of the overall industry since 1997, when Fernz sparked a shake-up of the sector by selling its Farmers Fertiliser subsidiary to Bay of Plenty Fertiliser, and its New Plymouth-based fertiliser operations to Ravensdown.
Ravensdown then closed down that plant in favour of supplying western North Island customers from its Napier plant.
Mr Thomson said company sales rose 19 per cent in the June year, passing the previous record of 1.1 million tonnes in 1998, and setting a new one of 1.26 million tonnes.
Ravensdown chairman Jim Pringle said the sales boom followed two years of drought around the country and difficult trading conditions for many farmer shareholders.
"A number of factors have contributed towards the substantial increase in sales, including more favourable weather, increased farmer confidence and returns, our total fertiliser solution approach and increased market share."
In the past year, Ravensdown increased its product range to include liquid and organic fertiliser and its lime operations have been expanded significantly through the takeover of Dipton Lime in Southland, and buying two North Island lime works.
- NZPA
Sales surge for fertiliser cooperative
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