"Urea water" shortage Voices from carriers concerned about the impact on logistics

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, "urea water" is a device that purifies the exhaust gas of large diesel vehicles such as trucks, and is widely used to suppress the emission of harmful substances. It means that the engine cannot be started without "urea water".

In Japan, about half of the urea used as a raw material is imported, but China, which accounts for most of it, has tightened pre-export inspections since October of this year, so it is still unable to receive it. As a result, "urea water" is running out of stock, making it difficult for some carriers to obtain it, and some are concerned about the impact on logistics. In addition, there have been a series of cases where "urea water" is resold at a high price of about 10 times the normal price on the Internet, and on the 21st, the flea market app giant "Mercari" called on the homepage to take calm actions. .. In response to this situation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is calling on manufacturers producing urea in Japan to increase production as much as possible, and it is expected that shortages will improve by the end of next month at the earliest. increase.

Urea import trading company "I want you to return to a situation where you can import quickly and stably."

Trading companies that import urea from China are confused. A trading company in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo imports about 1000 tons of urea annually from China and sells it to domestic urea water manufacturers. Urea prices have risen since the summer, and due to the stricter pre-export inspections in China, the company has been unable to import at all since November. Keiji Yamamoto, representative of the trading company Oriental Trading, said, "Urea is still not imported. We were able to export urea from a local manufacturer for inspection, but it will take 30 to 50 days before the permit is granted. It is said that it will take some time. I don't know what will happen in the future, and I want you to return to a situation where you can import stably as soon as possible. "

Some carriers are worried about the future impact

Some carriers have expressed concern about the future impact of the shortage of "urea water". According to the Adachi branch of the Tokyo Truck Association, about 10 inquiries have been received from last month, such as "Can I buy urea water through the association because I can't get it?" Some companies complain that they have only one month's worth of stock and will not be able to move the truck after next month if they cannot purchase a new one. "Small and medium-sized enterprises with a small number of vehicles cannot be obtained from ordinary suppliers, and it is difficult to purchase new ones from other suppliers, so it is difficult to obtain them," said Torinokai Gaku, Deputy Director of the Adachi Branch of the Tokyo Truck Association. Since the logistics that carry the lifeline cannot be stopped, we are desperately securing "urea water". "

Expert "Purchase calmly and calmly"

Shinichi Yamaguchi, an associate professor at the International University of Japan who is familiar with business using the Internet, said, "It is a normal market principle that supply is low and prices are high, and we should be careful about over-regulating trading between individuals." After that, "In the future, if the logistics become significantly inoperable, or if the price becomes too high and no one can accept the transaction, and the supply decreases further, the site management side will voluntarily cooperate with government agencies. It is desirable to intervene in a targeted manner. " "If you panic and buy up because of anxiety, the market will be further confused, so it is necessary to calmly purchase."