Reading Time: 3 minutes Brasilia/Sao Paulo | Reuters — Vale SA’s US$2.5 billion sale of its fertilizer business to Mosaic Co., the latest step in the Brazilian iron ore miner’s strategy to reduce debt, also makes it the U.S. company’s biggest shareholder. Mosaic, which made the deal to improve its access to Brazil’s vast agricultural markets, will pay $1.25 […] Read more
Vale sells fertilizer unit to Mosaic
Fertilizer prices ‘float along’ with eyes on China, corn
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — It’s shaping up to be a typical winter season for fertilizer prices, according to an industry expert, but he cautions plant expansions in the U.S., corn acreage and the murky world of Chinese exports will all play a part in determining any price spikes in coming months. “We’re probably expecting a typical […] Read more
PotashCorp to cut jobs, output as prices sag
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Fertilizer maker PotashCorp said Wednesday it was reducing jobs and output at one Saskatchewan mine and temporarily curtailing production at two others as the sector struggles with weak prices. The company said it would cut production at its Cory potash mine, just west of Saskatoon, to 800,000 million tonnes a year from 1.4 […] Read more
Mosaic looks to restart Saskatchewan potash mine
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. fertilizer producer Mosaic Co. may need to restart its idled potash mine at Colonsay, Sask. next year, as international buyers work through inventories, the company said on Tuesday. Mosaic halted production in July at the mine, about 70 km southeast of Saskatoon, for the rest of 2016 due to low global potash […] Read more
Agrium/PotashCorp merger set for shareholder approval
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto/Winnipeg | Reuters — The shareholders of Agrium and PotashCorp are set to overwhelmingly approve a merger of the two Canadian fertilizer producers, according to a source familiar with the situation, despite initial skepticism from Agrium investors. About 99 per cent of the votes from both groups of shareholders are in favour of the transaction, […] Read more
Vale fertilizer sale seen on track despite review
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rio de Janeiro | Reuters — Vale SA’s plan to dispose of fertilizer assets remains on track despite a request last week by Brazil’s state development bank, BNDES, to analyze the transaction more carefully, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. Terms of the deal, which involves the sale of certain assets […] Read more
Tough farm conditions right time for merger, Agrium CEO says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Plunging crop and fertilizer prices may not have hit rock bottom yet, and the market’s weakness makes it the right time to merge leading farm input suppliers, the CEO of Agrium said on Tuesday, making his pitch to skeptical investors for a US$26 billion union with PotashCorp. “Are we at the bottom yet? […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium make engagement official
Reading Time: 3 minutes The boards of two of the heaviest hitters in Canada’s fertilizer sector have formally agreed to a $47 billion “merger of equals” deal under a new, yet-to-be-named parent company. PotashCorp, the world’s biggest fertilizer company by capacity, and rival Agrium, which is also the world’s biggest crop input retail chain, announced an agreement Monday in […] Read more
Fertilizer merger faces easier approval at home than in U.S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto/Washington | Reuters — Canada’s PotashCorp and Agrium are more likely to win approval for a potential merger in Canada than in the U.S., but U.S. rejection of the deal would scuttle it globally, competition lawyers said. Saskatoon-based PotashCorp and Calgary’s Agrium confirmed Tuesday they were in preliminary merger talks, toward a deal that would […] Read more
PotashCorp, Agrium merger would send farmers to regulators
Reading Time: 3 minutes Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — North American farmers will pressure regulators to protect their negotiating leverage with fertilizer suppliers if PotashCorp and Agrium agree to merge, major farm groups said on Wednesday. The potential deal revealed on Tuesday would combine the world’s largest fertilizer producer by capacity, with the continent’s biggest network of farm retail dealers, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
