News

February 01, 2010

Potash Pulls In Bids, Bankers And Bulls

By Sally White

Fertilisers were where it was all happening last week, as supplies started to run low and the world’s two largest mining groups announced plans to spend a total of US$4.9 billion on acquisitions in the market. Vale is to buy a 16 per cent stake in Brazil’s Fertilizantes Fosfatados, depending on completion of its US$3.8 billion deal to buy Bunge’s Brazilian fertiliser assets. BHP agreed to acquire Canada’s Athabasca Potash for C$341 million. Commenting on the BHP deal Potash president William J. Doyle said: “It’s cheaper to buy existing operations than build new mines.” The deal news sent BHP shares down 3.2 per cent to A$39.40 but Vale gained 0.5 per cent. Bunge says it will use part of the proceeds of its sale to “increase the scale” of it agribusinesses and food operations and “further expand into complementary value chains such as sugar.”

Meanwhile, thrilling the bulls and bankers, Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest fertiliser manufacturer, forecast higher sales and Credit Suisse, Bank of America Merrill Lynch all put out notes forecasting strong price recovery. Morgan Stanley said demand could rise 50 per cent and prices could advance from 2009’s US$400 to US$450tonne in the coming months. Credit Suisse said the global potash market will probably see  a “large recovery” from April when farmers start planting...