Arab Potash Co. (APC), Amman, said it will begin exporting red granular potash to Brazil this month, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency, citing APC Chairman Jamal Al- Sarayrah, who was speaking at a press conference on Aug. 4.
The company has started producing red granular potash, which, according to Al-Sarayrah, would open new markets to APC and diversify its customer base. However, the chairman made no comment on the volumes involved.
APC also plans to expand its production portfolio to include specialty fertilizers, global demand for which has grown 5-7 percent, the chairman noted.
Regarding other expansion plans, the company and Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Resources have inked an agreement to finance studies on the economic feasibility of extracting potash from the country’s Al-Lisan area near the Dead Sea (GM Feb. 15, p. 26).
APC said initial studies indicate there are “huge deposits” of potash in the area in question, which will be extracted if the current economic and technical studies prove commercial extraction to be feasible. The company expects to cover the expected JD12 million (approximately $16.9 million at current exchange rates) cost of the technical study from its own resources.
Al-Sarayrah also reported that the company has floated a tender to conduct a technical and financial feasibility study in Jordan’s Ghour Fifa region to the south of the Dead Sea, which, if proved to be a feasible proposition, could see the production of some 450,000 mt/y of potash, he said (GM Feb. 15, p. 26).
APC last week reported a 46 percent rise in its first-half net profit to JD78.2 million on revenues of JD266 million (GM Aug. 2, p. 29).