Hi Guys,

Does anyone have a list of miners in the potash industry?

I did a quick search on google and could find nothing for australia.

I think STB might have some potash project going on - either that or rock phostphate. MAK is rock phosphate as well. ADY has a lithium project in Argentina that seems to be taking forever to get going and I they've just realised that the potash that is lying around down there might have some value as well. URM comes to mind as well for some reason.

That is about it as far as I know.

what is the use of Potash ?

Fertilizer.

Pssst ...buy IPL before the split...or is it too late ? uhm

a whole heap of Potash and related threads appeared when this sector became sexy. One of the instigators was BHP's bid for Potash Corp, since lapsed. During BHP's bid for PotashCorp, BHP reported that PotashCorp's production capacity in 2009 was ~10-11Mtpa and world potash shipments in 2010 were ~50Mt.

Since this frenzy of late last year and early 2011, shareprice of most juniors aiming for future wins has waned. part of the reason is the improbability of delivering on the potential when he deposits are found in Congo, Eritrea, Bolivia, etc.

Today BHP announced

approval for a further investment of US$488m in its Jansen Potash project in Saskatchewan, Canada (taking BHP's total investment in Jansen to US$1.2Bn) funding site preparation and long lead time items. The funding will also enable BHP to develop the first ~350m of the production and service shafts (subject to government approval).

The project is currently in feasibility study phase (announced in February 2011). Drilling of ~55k metres of wells and construction of a refrigeration centre has been completed as part of the 89 freeze holes and monitoring wells required for the production and service shafts.

BHP anticipates first production in 2015 calendar year ramping up to full production of ~8Mtpa agricultural grade potash with an estimated mine life of ~70 years. BHP flagged the potential of its other projects in Saskatchewan indicating that it believes annual production of >16Mtpa is possible.

this may put a dent in other aspirants.

Yesterday Aguia announced their Phosphate project in Brasil was looking good

 Numerous high grade intersections were received including assays up to 23.25% P2O5.
 These early results highlight the area’s potential to host a near surface phosphate deposit in close proximity to infrastructure, primary agriculture customers and fertiliser blenders.
 Infill drilling will commence immediately with a further drilling program doubling the initial drilling program to 3,000 metres.
 Further drilling will test for significant widths and thicknesses of phosphate mineralisation to enable the rapid development of a start-up project, based on the fact that Brazil is heavily reliant on imports of up to 50 per cent of its phosphate needs.

You can search the individual threads or check out their websites for the following
AGR - Aguia also has a deep potash project in NE Brasil
ELM - Elemental has a project in Congo (not Zaire)
STB - South Boulder has a shallow Potash project in Eritrea
ORE - Orecobre has potash in association with Lithium in northern Argentina

MNM - Mantle Mining + Phosphate?

and a few projects are coming up in Continental USA
PWN - Potash West
TRH - Transit Holdings
RDM - Red Metal - some in USA?

one of the side effects of bhp building from scratch a massive world class deposit, producing a significant percentage of world trade in that commodity is that marginal producers higher up the cost of production scale get outcompeted. potash corp won the battle,now gets to fight the war.

i suppose that in rare earths which are traded in such small amounts [too small for the majors?] one decent deposit changes the economics with a snap of the fingers.

Add to the list of hopefuls:
FMJ - Fortis Minerals - with a couple of projects in western Kazakhstan (underground)

while world potash shipments in 2010 were ~50Mt, and the expectation is growth is upward (FMJ state 3%pa, others have it at a higher rate up to 6%pa) if BHP are going to bring in 8Mtpa agricultural grade potash by 2015 at Jensen (with an estimated mine life of ~70 years) that sort of takes care of the growth as Jensen represents close to 16% of current global shipments. Then it is going to be the lowest cost producer who wins (the marginals will struggle, with 'difficult' governments to deal with, higher costs of capital, possible cost blow-outs etc.)

Think I will follow this sector from a distance !!!

We're seeing potash prices climb: recently India, which was offering $US425 a tonne to Canadian suppliers, had to succumb to $US475/tonne through to December 2010 and $US525 thereafter.

quick revisit after the early 2011 flurry till March /April peak and subsequent cooling off
AGR - going nowhere = down
ELM - going nowhere = down
STB - going nowhere = down
FMJ - going nowhere = down
ORE - going nowhere = down
MNM - going nowhere = down
PWN - going nowhere = sideways
TRH - star performer of late
RDM - going nowhere = downish

a couple of others --- and in Australia too !!

Reward Minerals Ltd (RWD) is a minerals exploration company, with main focus on potash projects. Market Cap $70mill

- today's Ann: reached Mining and Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) for the Company’s Lake Disappointment Potash Project. .... Company is now in the process of engaging new staff to recommence activities on the Lake Disappointment Project including resource upgrade, feasibility activities and the Clearance Heritage Survey scheduled to occur in March

<from SS; thx denpal> ....will be Australia's first domestic potash producer. On 200ktpa the margin looks like around $350/t, ($600/t-$250/t) around $50mpa NPAT (not including loan amortization on project finance). On 400ktpa, $100mpa NPAT.

This is Sulphate of Potash (SOP) remember, not Muriate of Potash (MOP). The price premium has been growing over the last few years and is now 40-50% in favour of SOP. The reason is that SOP does not cause the soil to salt up, and there are few producers globally.

Rum Jungle Resources Ltd (RUM), was Rum Jungle Uranium Limited - is a diversified junior explorer focused on highly prospective land located in Australia’s Northern Territory and Queensland, with a portfolio including: Uranium, Potash, Phosphate and Base Metals. Market cap $53mill. Soul Patts is on board

recent Ann: Rum Jungle’s substantial reserves of phosphate near Barrow Creek in the Northern Territory have recently been estimated at 253 million tonnes. This is a JORC figure using data from 875 drill holes. This makes Barrow Creek one of the biggest unexploited phosphate deposits in Australia - and a world class deposit.

In addition its Karinga Creek potash reserves will soon be able to also release a JORC resource statement.

Also former TRH is now POK - Potash Minerals Limited

and FMJ Fortis is restructuring = Trying to raise capital. Supplementary PDS in circulation . out with the old, in with the new. (But new what - options package for directors?). When ASIC issued an interim order on the evening of 23 December 2011, at least one BS antenna twitched.

... Fortis warned of ''significant doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern'' if the Kazakhstan projects did not go ahead. It said if they didn't, there was no guarantee it would be able to recover $30 million already paid to their overseas owners. While Fortis is buying the projects by acquiring shares in a Hong Kong company, the prospectus shows that payments in money and shares ultimately flow as far afield as Panama and the British Virgin Islands.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/asic-cal ... z1iYLFXh7E

--- does seem to be a lot of Potash out there. Finding the lowest quartile producer among the hopefuls (when BHP's Jensen in Canada is ramping up, and the Ukrainians likely to sell, sell, sell whatever the margin) is the challenge

i have a soft spot for rdm redmetal,and its potash potential [if they get all the state/federal paperwork stuff organised] looks to have little value in the still small market cap. rdm is more of a 'buy early,sell after permitting' play rather than a foundation divvy stock, but i like it for the niche it is in. [and drilling on nice targets underway.]

this market has ceased to offer the reratings needed to easily scavenge free carry in the death or glory end of the market, but rdm getting the potash story out in the first half of the year could affer a scalp from these levels. [i hope]

another one - this time in equatorial Africa

- Angola (Cabinda) has Phosphate resource : 4 deposits
- Angola -Dinge : Potash
- DR Congo area. Phosphate

Minbos MNB. small Aust / Jo'burg Co; and looking for JVs, cash, etc etc.