Potash, a potassium-based fertilizer mined from the bottom, got here into sharp focus final 12 months when costs reached document highs following provide disruptions from Belarus and Russia. Some see it as a key commodity not only for agricultural manufacturing but in addition combating world warming.
Now potash producers elsewhere—most notably in Canada—are seeing a chance to seize market share. BHP, the world’s largest miner, sees the fertilizer as one of many keys to its future. Will their potash bets repay?