U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is working on a major deal to purchase potash from Belarus at a price he says would be “substantially less” than what the United States currently pays Canada.
Canada is the dominant supplier of potash to the U.S., while Belarus is one of the world’s major potash producers. The proposed deal could therefore have implications for American farmers, Canadian fertilizer producers, and the wider global potash market.
In this video, we explain:
• Why Trump is looking toward Belarus for potash
• How dependent the U.S. is on Canadian potash
• Why Saskatchewan is central to Canada’s potash industry
• Belarus’s production and transportation challenges
• The role of sanctions and international shipping routes
• What the proposed deal could mean for American farmers
• Why Canadian fertilizer producers are watching closely
• What remains unknown about the proposed agreement
- Global News — “Trump says he wants potash from Belarus for ‘substantially less’ than Canada” Global News report
- Reuters — “Trump says US is working on deal to purchase potash from Belarus” Reuters report
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) — Mineral Commodity Summaries: Potash import sources and global production data. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries
- Canadian Press / CityNews — Reporting on Canada-U.S. potash trade and Saskatchewan’s role. Canadian Press report
- Reuters — Reporting on EU sanctions and Belarus. Reuters — Belarus sanctions
