Israel Chemicals Ltd. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the share of Brazil’s Vale Fertilizante in Fosbrasil SA. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Fosbrasil is a joint venture producing purified phosphoric acid and raw materials for the Brazilian fertilizer market. The proposed deal is subject to Brazilian regulatory approvals. ICL said that the purchase of Vale’s shares will increase its stake to a majority share in a leading phosphoric acid producer in South America. Each company held a 44.25 percent stake in the jv.

ICL is a leading producer of phosphoric acid and phosphates with production facilities in Brazil, the U.S., Mexico, Germany, China and Israel. “This acquisition complements ICL’s global position in phosphoric acid and phosphates and is the next stop in the global expansion strategy we have been following for the past decade,” said Mark Volmer, president and CEO of ICL Performance Products.

This is the second acquisition announced by ICL in the past week. Last week the company said it was acquiring Germany’s Hagesud Group, a producer of premium spice blends and food ingredients for meat processing. The terms of the deal were not released but Israeli financial industry sources put the value of the transaction at several tens of millions of dollars. Following the acquisition Hagesud will become part of ICL Good Specialties. The move is part of ICL’s plans to diversify into new niche markets.

At the meeting held today, Uralkali’s board of directors named Dmitry Osipov as the new general director (CEO) of the company, effective Dec. 24. He replaces Vladislav Baumgertner, who will leave the position of CEO as of that date.

“I would like to highlight that the decision to appoint a new CEO has been taken in connection with the recent changes in the composition of the major shareholders of the company,” said Alexander Voloshin, Uralkali chairman. “On behalf of the company and the board, I would like to thank Vladislav Baumgertner for his significant contribution to the development of the company over an extended period of time. During his period of service at Uralkali, beginning in 2003, Uralkali was transformed into a public company with a diversified international shareholder base positioned as one of the leaders in the global potash industry. We wish Vladislav well in this challenging time. We continue to believe in his innocence and hope that the existing problems will be resolved as soon as possible. The new chief executive of Uralkali, Dmitry Osipov, is well known as a senior manager with many years of experience working in the largest Russian chemical companies. I would like to welcome Dmitry and am confident that he brings deep industry knowledge and significant senior management expertise in the fertilizer sector. The board looks forward to working with the new CEO to implement the next phase of Uralkali’s growth for the benefit of all its shareholders and customers.”

“During the challenging conditions of the past few months, Uralkali’s employees have demonstrated they are a highly efficient team,” said Osipov. “I believe that this should be credited to the management of the company and, above all, to Vladislav Baumgertner, who has built remarkably reliable systems at Uralkali, and Viktor Belyakov, who led the company since August. My appointment to the position of the CEO of such company like Uralkali is a demonstration of a high level of trust by the board of directors. I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the board of directors and assure them that I will always work in the interests of the company and its shareholders."

Osipov, has served in major positions at Uralchem, which now is a major shareholder in Uralkali. He is a graduate of Gorkiy State University (Radiophysics and Cybernetics Department). From the mid-1990s he held senior management positions in a number of large chemical companies including Khimprom (Volgograd), Propan-Butanovaya Company, Sibur-Khimprom. Between 2005 and 2007, Osipov served as CEO of Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Plant OJSC. In 2007-2011 he served as CEO of Uralchem Holding PLC, and in 2011-2013 as the deputy to the head of the board of directors of Uralchem Holding PLC.

Baumgertner, who was arrested in August and held in Minsk for months, was recently extradited back to Russia. He was charged in Belarusia for “abuse of power” for his heading up of Belarusian Potash Co. Uralkali pulled out of BPC in late July.

Junior U.K. potash company Sirius Minerals Plc has announced further progress in the marketing of polyhalite from its York Potash Project. Sirius has entered into a memorandum of understanding for 500,000 mt/y Sichuan Agricultural Means Group, bringing the total committed mt to 4.28 million mt/y.

The memorandum of understanding with Sichuan AMPC is for the sale of 500,000 mt/y of polyhalite for 10 years. The terms will be at market price to be agreed at the final contract stage. Sichuan AMPC is a major agricultural production company with interests in fertilizer manufacture and distribution in Sichuan and surrounding provinces. The Group is also involved in diversified industries such as mining, feed and agricultural industrialization, recycling resources, properties and real estate. The group has an annual turnover of 13 billion RMB (£1.3 billion).

Sirius says there are currently agreements and commitments for customers to purchase a total of 4.28 million mt/y of polyhalite from the York Potash Project. Discussions are ongoing with customers around the world which, combined with the existing arrangements, would represent more demand than the initial Phase 1 production target of 5 million mt/y.

The Tampa ammonia price for January is rolling over at $450/mt CFR sources confirmed Dec. 19.

Houston-based Magnolia Nitrogen Idaho, also known as Magnida (GM May 27, p. 13), has secured the capital needed to restart developing a $1.5 billion nitrogen fertilizer plant near American Falls, Idaho, the company’s new CEO assured Power County residents in a Dec. 10 letter. Construction is set to start in 2014 with completion anticipated in 2017. More details will appear in the next Green Markets.

Sinochem Fertilizer Macao Commercial Offshore Ltd. reports that it has agreed to take 1 million mt of potash from Canpotex in 2014, with prices still to be negotiated. PotashCorp CEO Bill Doyle has indicated that he expects those to be concluded by the end of January.

Ohio Valley Resources LLC (OVR), Fairfield, Ill, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chinese-owned Tierra Del Fuego Power & Chemical Co. Ltd. (TEQSA) for the development of the proposed nitrogen fertilizer plant in Spencer County, Ind., north of Rockport. The focus of the MOU is to provide equity financing for the project construction while retaining the US-based management and operations team assembled by OVR.

“The MOU provides for a mutually-beneficial arrangement to move the project forward with the existing team members and an equity investment from a credible, well established international partner,” said OVR President/CEO Doug Wilson. “Representatives from TEQSA have toured the site and have obtained shareholder approval to proceed with the development of the project.”

OVR and TEQSA have together selected Sinopec Engineering, Inc. (SEI), together with a US-based global engineering firm, to execute the front-end engineering design (FEED) and the detailed engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the plant. SEI is a leading engineering and construction services company with extensive experience in the chemical and petrochemical industries. For more information, http://new.sei.com.cn/html/gsgk/gsgk_fzlc.asp.

The facility is expected to produce ammonia and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) solution for fertilizer. Some of the ammonia production will serve the local utility markets for NOx control (known as selective catalytic reduction units or SCRs), which reduces emissions in coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities. In addition, the plant will produce diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), a urea solution used to reduce emissions in diesel engines.

Approximately 1,200 workers will be needed to construct the plant during a three-year period. Upon its projected completion in 2017, the facility will employ approximately 80 full-time workers.

CHS Inc. has announced plans to build a 26,000 short ton fertilizer hub in Lakota, N.D. Operating as part of the Lake Region Grain unit of the company’s Country Operations division, the new facility will exclusively handle dry fertilizer product and benefit from shuttle train access off the BN rail line.

Construction is expected to begin May 1, 2014, and the plant ready to fill with product by mid-January 2015. It should be ready to serve area farmers for the spring 2015 season.

"This additional fertilizer capacity will help us ensure a seamless supply for our current patrons and, at the same time enable us to expand our territory and bring quality inputs to new growers," said Mark Greicar, general manager, Lake Region Grain.

“The CHS commitment to producers includes initiatives to reinvest back into our communities," said John McEnroe, executive vice president, CHS Country Operations. "It’s a very tangible way CHS is helping its members grow."