Calgary-Viterra Inc. said May 17 that it has entered into a credit agreement for a C$1.6 billion revolving credit facility through a syndicate of financing institutions led by TD Securities and RBC Capital Markets and co-arranged by Commonwealth Bank of Australia, HSBC Bank, and Rabobank Nederland, Canadian Branch. The agreement was to become effective May 18. The three-year unsecured operating line, which replaces previous lines of credit that were in place in Canada and Australia, will provide the necessary funding to support the company’s global working capital requirements. In other news, Viterra reports that Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services has upgraded the company’s senior unsecured notes, including the proposed Series 2010-1 Notes, to investment grade. This upgrade, together with Dominion Bond Rating Services’ (DBRS) existing investment grade rating on Viterra’s notes, will make them eligible for the Dex Universe All Corporate Bond Index. “Over the last several years, we have achieved significant growth while maintaining and strengthening our balance sheet and ability to access capital. This, along with our focus on investment grade credit metrics, has helped us to establish a platform to support our global business and strategic initiatives,” said Rex McLennan, Viterra’s CFO.

Sasolburg, South Africa-Omnia Holdings has announced a R1.4bn (US$176 million) capital investment in the construction of a world class nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plant and associated facilities in South Africa. The company says this is the first nitric acid plant of its kind to be built in South Africa since 1984. “We are seeing significant growth in South and Southern Africa’s mining sector, which is driving increased demand for Omnia’s explosives via our BME division, as well as increased appetite for Omnia Fertilizer products in response to the need for solutions to food security, and energy/resource supply constraints,” said Rod Humphris, Omnia Group managing director. “The growth in both agricultural and mining markets has been driven by international demand and development trends, which are set to continue. We have been building the market for ten years, and this investment will enable Omnia to meet increased demand in both explosives and fertilizers, allowing us to leverage supply side synergies between these businesses and ensure security of raw material supply by building world class capacity at home.” Omnia said the new plant will be built next to its existing nitric acid plant in Sasolburg, which is currently running at capacity. Omnia is sourcing the plant technology and licenses, as well as engineering design and critical component supplies, from Uhde GmbH of Germany. The plant will produce 1,000 mt/d, which equates to 140 percent of the existing plant’s capacity. Omnia has set out to raise shareholder capital of R1bn (US$126 million) to partially fund the expansion through a fully subscribed rights offer. Certain existing shareholders have committed to following their rights and to applying for additional shares in the rights offer, which, combined with further institutions supporting the capital raising, has secured R1bn of equity capital up front for Omnia. The remaining funding requirement for the project will be covered through a combination of internally generated funds and long-term project financing.

San Antonio-The Southwestern Fertilizer Conference (SWFC) says the 2010 meeting is shaping up to be the largest ever. More companies have signed up for meeting sites than ever in conference history, and registrations are coming in at a fast pace. This year’s meeting will be held July 24-28 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas (see www.swfertilizer.org/). With so many dealers saying they will be sitting on empty at the end of the spring season, the conference may indeed gain more attention as buyers flock there to kick tires for restocking for fall.

Arroyo Grande, Calif.-Omni Agri Trade Group, LLC, a leading provider of liquid and dry micronutrient solutions, announces that its GreenSun® SP-225 sulfur and phosphorous fertilizer is now Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) certified. “GreenSun SP-225 is unique in that it contains 22.5 percent phosphate rock,” said Mark Moore, Omni CEO. “Never before have sulfur and phosphate been blended and formed in a single homogenous pastille. Plus, the blended solution degrades to produce a nutrient complex that is 65 percent sulfur and 5.0 percent P₂O₅.” By combining sulfur and phosphorous, Omni says GreenSun SP-225 substantially decreases the conversion time to the plant-available form, and enables more efficient distribution of sulfur and phosphorus in the field. GreenSun products are pastille-shaped, degradable sulfur, which is formulated using a new, patent-pending technology, which the company says serves as a significant differentiator when compared to other granular fertilizers. Omni says it is superior to other sulfur and phosphate materials in its handling and blending characteristics, contains very little dust, and features an extremely uniform granule size. GreenSun SP-225 is the second product offered by Omni Agri Trade Group with OMRI Certification. GreenSun 90 Organic is used as a plant nutrient and soil amendment for the improvement of alkali soils.

Cranbury, N.J.-Specialty phosphate producer Innophos Holdings Inc. reported that on May 18, 2010, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services upgraded its corporate family rating to BB- (from B+), with a positive outlook and upgraded ratings on its $190 million 8.875 percent senior subordinated notes due 2014. Earlier this year, Moody’s Investors Service changed the outlook on Innophos ratings to positive from stable and affirmed Innophos’ Ba3 Corporate Family Rating (CFR) and SGL-1 Speculative Grade Liquidity rating.

Regina-Viterra Inc. reports that it has reached two significant safety milestones in its western Canadian operations. In Viterra’s Agri-products division, employees have successfully accumulated over one million hours with no lost time incidents. This represents 190 consecutive working days from September 22, 2009, to March 31, 2010, and includes over 1,400 employees working at Viterra’s 269 agri-products sites across Western Canada. Employees at Viterra’s oat milling facility in Barrhead, Alberta, celebrated a safety accomplishment of their own, reaching 3,000 consecutive working days with no lost time incidents, which equates to eight years – or over 400,000 working hours. “These accomplishments illustrate the teamwork and dedication of our employees, keeping safety top of mind as they provide our customers with quality service and products. Viterra is committed to the highest standards of safety, and it is our employees who prove this through their daily work. It is a significant component of our reputation as a safe and reliable provider of food ingredients, and as a responsible corporate citizen,” said Mayo Schmidt, Viterra president and CEO.

Greenburg, Ind.-KOVA, an Indiana-based, family-owned-and-operated business, is proudly celebrating its 75^th anniversary. It started as KOVA Fertilizer Corp. in the spring of 1935, when Francis Reed sold his first bag of fertilizer from North Anderson Street in Greensburg, Indiana. Now, 75 years later, the company still operates on Anderson Street, but has expanded to include retail and wholesale locations throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. KOVA has also expanded with a family of ten allied businesses operating under the KOVA Agri-Team (KAT) brand, which includes AgriBusiness Finance, Crop Fertility Specialists, Next Gene Seeds, American Grower Insurance, LLC, KOVA Fertilizer, Inc., KOVA Fertilizer Retail, KOVA of Ohio, Heartland, Fields of Vision, and Next Generation. Today the company is headed by the second and third generation of Reeds. Francis’ son Dick works alongside his three sons, Todd, Brad, and Brian. “We’re very proud of our industry, our agriculture focus, the producers and communities we serve. There really are only a handful of businesses that share this important diamond anniversary status,” said Dick Reed, KOVA president. “Our business is and always has been firmly rooted in trust. We are anxious to celebrate our past while we grow the future of the communities that have helped us grow.” The “Community Gift Back” program will take place at KOVA Fertilizer and retail stores in Greensburg, Seymour, and Westport, Ind., and eight Crop Fertility Specialists locations in Winimac, LaCrosse, Kewanna, Milford, Rossville, Bourbon, Burnettsville, and Urbana, Ind. At each location, $1,075 will be awarded to a local non-profit organization to help them with community projects. A random drawing will be held at each of the 11 locations later in the summer, with their efforts showcased at a celebration in Greensburg in August. During its 75 years, KOVA says it has given support to several organizations, including the 4-H, FFA, Indiana Plant Food Association, Purdue University, and local hospitals, among several others.

Montreal-SNC-Lavalin said May 18 that SNC-Lavalin in Europe has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract to build a grassroots sulfuric/phosphoric acid complex, including utilities and a power plant in Eshidya, Jordan. The contract was awarded by JIFCO, a joint venture owned by Jordanian Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO). JPMC is a leading phosphate rock, phosphoric acid, and fertilizer producer in Jordan, while IFFCO is the largest fertilizer producer and distributor cooperative in India. The total estimated investment value of the project is about US$625 million. SNC-Lavalin will provide overall project management, detailed design, proprietary equipment items, and construction management for the facilities. This world-class complex will have a capacity of 500,000 mt/y of phosphoric acid. It includes a single-line sulfuric acid plant with a capacity of 4,500 mt/d, making it the largest single stream unit in the world. Work will begin immediately, with production start-up expected before the end of 2012.

Toronto-Allana Potash Corp. reports progress in the drilling of two holes at its Ethiopian Potash Project in the Danakhil Depression. “We are very pleased that the initial two holes seem to confirm the shallow depth of the potash beds and, in the case of the second hole, provides us with preliminary evidence of a potentially increased resource,” said Farhad Abasov, Allana president and CEO. “We intend to report the assay results from the first two holes immediately after they are received, and we also intend on accelerating the drill program by bringing in another drill rig. Allana is getting quotes on a seismic program that is planned to be launched as soon as seismic equipment can be mobilized.” In addition, Allana notes that the Ethiopian government has announced positive news regarding new infrastructure projects in the country. It says the Chinese government has granted Ethiopia a multi-billion Birr loan towards the construction of railway lines, expected to stretch some 5,000 kilometers from Addis Ababa into the various regions of the country. Government officials have commented that it is economically viable to transport minerals by rail from the country’s major mineral resource regions, including the Afar region which hosts Allana’s potash project. Allana notes that government officials have stated that the project is one of the main strategic projects of the country over the next five years.

Espoo, Finland-Outotec Oyj said May 17 that it has completed the acquisition of Edmeston AB, a Gothenburg, Sweden-based company specializing in the engineering and supply of process equipment used primarily in sulfuric acid plants. It said Edmeston has unique know-how of special stainless steel grades suitable for use in highly corrosive environments. Edmeston’s annual revenues are approximately US$12.4 million, and it employs around a dozen professionals. “The acquisition of Edmeston strengthens Outotec’s position as the leading provider of sulfuric acid production technology,” said Pertti Korhonen, Outotec president and CEO. “Edmeston complements our offerings to the sulfuric acid plant operators, enabling us to raise our service level in particular in equipment refurbishments and upgrades.” Outotec, a leading supplier of advanced sulfuric acid plants, says it has delivered over 600 facilities globally. The parties did not disclose the transaction price.