Higher costs,little power:$36B potash merger worries farmers
Farm groups in both Canada and the United States are sounding warning notes over the possibility of higher prices and less competition from the pending merger of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan and Calgary-based Agrium Inc.The $36-billion US deal will create a massive player in the fertilizer industry. National Bank Financial says the merged firm, if approved, would control almost two-thirds of potash capacity in North America, 30 per cent of phosphate production capability and 29 per cent of nitrogen capacity.