Frankfurt | Reuters — German potash miner K+S vowed it would not have to undercut rivals on price as it brings two million tonnes of new potash capacity to the North American market next year. Faced with the gradual depletion of its domestic reserves over the next 35 to 40 years, K+S built its new […] Read more

K+S vows new Saskatchewan mine won’t undermine prices

Agrium posts smaller-than-expected loss for quarter
Reuters — Agrium, the world’s biggest farm retailer, reported a smaller-than-expected loss on Monday, helped by higher selling prices for potash. The Calgary-based fertilizer and ag retail firm sold 636,000 tonnes of wholesale potash in the first quarter ended March 31 at an average of $208 per tonne, compared with 456,000 tonnes at $199 per […] Read more

PotashCorp notches higher profit as sales climb
Reuters — Saskatchewan-based PotashCorp reported a bigger-than-expected rise in quarterly profit on Thursday and raised its full-year outlook, citing lower costs and increased sales volumes. Shares of the Saskatoon-based fertilizer producer rose 1.6 per cent in early New York trading, touching a three-week high. Revenue was lower in the first quarter due to weaker prices […] Read more

Grain revenue, grain handle higher in CP’s Q1
Increased grain and potash traffic and revenue helped Canadian Pacific Railway book a shift to “positive volumes” in its first-quarter ledger. Calgary-based CP on Wednesday reported net income of $431 million on revenues of $1.603 billion for its quarter ending March 31, down from $540 million on $1.591 billion in the year-earlier period. “We turned […] Read more

Canpotex aims for ‘material’ potash price bump from China
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian potash exporter Canpotex is pressing Chinese buyers to pay a “material” price increase for the fertilizer in their annual supply contract, as spot values in other markets rise off multi-year lows, Canpotex’s chief executive said on Monday. “We’re not interested in some kind of ratcheting down. That is for sure,” […] Read more

Potash prices look lower for longer as competition overheats
Reuters — The deepest slump in a decade for the oversupplied potash fertilizer market may abate only slightly in 2017, major producers say, and could take years to correct due to the imminent startup of new mines. PotashCorp, the world’s biggest fertilizer producer, forecast a less profitable year on Thursday than analysts expected, and reported […] Read more

Vale sells fertilizer unit to Mosaic
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

Fertilizer prices ‘float along’ with eyes on China, corn
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
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
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