MMTC announced the last Indian urea tender of the year. The tender closes Dec. 1 with a shipping deadline of Jan. 6, 2021. India needs 500,000 to 700,000 mt to close out the application season and prepare for the next season. MMTC may buy more if the price is right.

Koch Fertilizer, Wichita, has announced plans to invest nearly $140 million at its Fort Dodge, Iowa plant to revamp existing production processes, which is expected to increase yearly ammonia production capacity by 85,000 st. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021 and the revamped processes are expected to be fully operational by the fall 2022 season.

An announcement by SQM, Santiago, that it plans to spend some $1.3 billion in investments through 2024, includes a nitrate capacity expansion of some 250,000 mt/y. Other capacities to be expanded include lithium, iodine and solar salt.

In other news, SQM reported third-quarter net income of only $1.7 million citing a $62.5 million class action settlement booked in the quarter.

Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue), Perth, on Nov. 17 confirmed it is investigating the development of a green ammonia plant in Bell Bay, Tasmania. Fortescue’s envisages a 250,000 mt/y plant for domestic and international export. The project is targeted for an investment decision by the Fortescue Board in 2021.

As earlier reported Nov. 17, Origin Energy, Sydney, plans to conduct an A$3.2 million feasibility study into building a 420,000 mt/y ammonia plant.

Origin Energy, Sydney, plans to conduct an A$3.2 million feasibility study into building an export scale green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Tasmania’s Bell Bay. The plant would produce more than 420,000 mt of zero emissions ammonia per year. If the project were to proceed, first production of green ammonia is targeted for the mid-2020s.

India’s Grasim Industries today approved divestment of the company’s fertilizer business, Indo Gulf Fertilisers (IGF), to Indorama India Private Ltd (IIP) for a cash consideration of Rs 2,649 crore, according to the Indian press. Indo Gulf Fertilisers is engaged in manufacturing, trading, and sale of urea and other agri-inputs with a 1.2 million mt urea manufacturing plant at Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh.

U.S. private equity firm Paine Schwartz Partners is considering selling a stake in Verdesian Life Sciences to capitalize on rising demand for crop-health assets, according to Bloomberg, citing people with knowledge of the matter. A deal could value Verdesian at more than $500 million, according to the sources.

Koch Fertilizer is investing an estimated $90 million at its Beatrice, Neb. nitrogen plant to further improve reliability and environmental and safety performance, and to increase UAN production by 75,000 tons per year. The Beatrice team is working on the latest improvements with startup expected in fall 2021.

Ms. Alzbeta Klein has been appointed as IFA’s new Director General, effective Jan. 11, 2021. Most recently, she was with the International Finance Corp. (IFC) /World Bank Group.

CHS Inc., St. Paul, reported net income of $422.4 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2020, down 49 percent from the year-ago $829.9 million. Most of the decrease came from the CHS Energy segment where refined fuels were impacted by COVID-19.