The Mosaic Co., the CHS Foundation, and Viterra Inc. last week announced contributions to relief efforts in Japan.
Mosaic, Plymouth, Minn., announced a $1 million donation to the Red Cross. Mosaic will also be giving its Japanese customers priority on future shipments of phosphate and potash to replace those damaged by the tsunami and to ensure Japan’s food security is not threatened. In addition to the $1 million contribution, Mosaic employee donations to relief efforts in Japan will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the company up to $100,000.
“We have developed strong long-term relationships with our Japanese customers. I am deeply saddened by the human tragedy that Japan is facing, yet simultaneously inspired by the resilience, courage, and dignity of the Japanese people,” said Jim Prokopanko, Mosaic president and CEO. “Our customers have also seen some of their crop nutrient reserves washed away by the tsunami. To help the recovery, Mosaic is prioritizing shipments to ensure Japan’s farmers have the nutrients they need to grow food for their people. I hope our response will go some way towards alleviating their suffering.” Japan is the sixth largest international market that Mosaic serves, and the company has been working with its customers to understand the country’s needs moving forward.
The CHS Foundation, St. Paul, Minn., will contribute a total of $75,000 to the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and the American Red Cross International Disaster Relief Fund. The foundation will also match up to $37,500 in CHS employee donations to the two designated organizations, for a potential total contribution of $150,000.
“Cooperatives in the United States and Japan have a long history together and we are gratified to be able to help at this very difficult time,” said William Nelson, Foundation president. “We also want to show our support to those in Japan with whom we have long-standing relationships.”
Viterra, Calgary, Alberta, announced a C$75,000 donation to the Red Cross Japanese Earthquake Asia-Pacific Tsunami Response Fund. “We are thankful that all of our Japanese employees have been confirmed safe in the wake of this terrible disaster. Our thoughts continue to go out to our Japanese colleagues, customers and all those affected by the devastating turn of events which have gripped the country,” said Mayo Schmidt, Viterra’s president and CEO. Viterra employs seven people through its marketing office in Tokyo.
BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany, said March 21 that as a first step it will contribute E500,000 to the Central Community Chest of Japan. Additionally, the company will start a global donation campaign among its employees and will fully match each euro contributed by the employees one-to-one. BASF said that all of its some 1,700 employees in Japan are safe. It recommended that employees in strongly affected areas move to less affected regions, and is providing logistical support. The company will continue to provide assistance to employees whose housing was destroyed or damaged by the earthquake or tsunami. Especially for BASF sites in the northeast of Japan, the company is helping to provide basic temporary support such as food, water, batteries, and lodging to those with damaged homes.
Immediately after the earthquake, BASF set up Country and Regional Incident Management Teams to support employees and assess and manage the situation from an operational and business perspective. BASF has 35 operations sites, including 27 production sites and eight research and development and technical centers, as well as 49 sales offices, in Japan.