potash

Neighboring Uzbekistan also boasts significant reserves of USGS-designated high risk critical minerals, such as magnesium and potash.

The cost of fertiliser has rocketed, too - partly because of trade disputes with Canada, which has raised the cost of potash, a salt imported from Canada by American farmers and used in fertiliser.

A prolonged dispute could have disrupted shipments of a range of goods, from grains and beans to potash, coal and timber.

A prolonged dispute could disrupt shipments of a wide range of goods, from grains and beans to potash, coal and timber.

The combination would also increase BHP’s holdings of potash, a widely used fertilizer, and coking coal used in steel production.