London-Mining giant Anglo American PLC has announced plans to divest non-core businesses, including its phosphate business – Copebrás. Located in the agriculturally-intensive Goías state of Brazil, Copebrás is a leading Brazilian producer of phosphate fertilizers and phosphoric acid. In 2008, Copebrás produced 982,100 mt of phosphates, generating EBITDA of $244 million. Anglo American holds a controlling interest of 73 percent of Copebrás. The news led to speculation that Vale, a Brazilian company, might be a major contender to buy the asset as Brazilian companies are under pressure from the government to develop domestic resources. Several U.S.-based companies, such as The Mosaic Co. and Agrium Inc., have also been mentioned as possible contenders.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain