Canada and U.S. should form self-reliant bloc for fertilizer, Carney suggests

Canada and U.S. should form self-reliant bloc for fertilizer, Carney suggests STEVEN CHASE SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO UPDATED 9 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Red potash is stored in a warehouse at Nutrien’s Cory Potash mine near Saskatoon. Prime Minister Mark Carney noted that Canada currently supplies the vast majority of the potash used by U.S. farmers. MATT SMITH/THE GLOBE AND MAIL COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Prime Minister Mark Carney made a public pitch Tuesday for Canada and the United States to form a partnership that would make the two countries self-sufficient in fertilizer. He voiced the proposal after Donald Trump toyed with switching to Belarus as a supplier of potash, a major ingredient in fertilizer for crops. Canada currently supplies about 85 per cent of the United States’ potash needs. Mr. Carney spoke to reporters during his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. It was a day after Mr. Trump said he was working on an agreement to import potash from Belarus, an Eastern European dictatorship closely allied with Russia, in a bid to lessen dependence on Canada amid the trade war. But Mr. Trump announced Tuesday the United States would continue to buy potash from Canada when he spoke to reporters during a bilateral meeting at the UN with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Open this photo in gallery: Mr. Carney waits to meet with Chilean President José Antonio Kast at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. JUSTIN TANG/THE CANADIAN PRESS The Prime Minister was asked about the fact that the U.S. President had backed off his Belarus idea. In response, Mr. Carney noted that Canada provides the vast majority of the potash used by U.S. farmers and represents a cost-effective supplier for the U.S. He predicted that this would continue to be true. The Prime Minister then suggested Canada and the U.S. work together across all fertilizer ingredients to become a self-sufficient bloc for these products. “I think that there is a real opportunity, if we so choose – and it’s one of many, many opportunities that Canada and the United States have to co-operate – to become fertilizer independent,” Mr. Carney said. “That would be good for Canadian farmers. It would be great for American farmers, and it’s an opportunity we’re prepared to explore.” Canadian fertilizer…