Rio Grande Projects
The TE (Três Estradas) and JT (Joca Tavares) Carbonatite Projects are located 325 km and 377 km respectively from the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Brazilian state towards the border with Uruguay.
The region is well developed, being well serviced by roads, power, port and services. The two carbonatites were discovered by the Brazilian Geological survey (“CPRM”) and are now held by Companhia Brasileira do Cobre (“CBC”) via one exploration permit (TE) and one application permit (JT) over the carbonatite pipes.
Aguia have an exclusive option to acquire 100 per cent of the Tres Estradas (“TE”) and Joca Tavares (“JT”) carbonatite style phosphate projects from Companhia Brasileira do Cobre (“CBC”).
The projects being acquired are located within the Brazilian border control zone (150 kilometres from the international border) restricting foreign ownership of the tenements to 49 per cent. Should the option be exercised to acquire the tenements at the conclusion of the exploration program, the Company will be required to enter into a joint venture with a Brazilian owned company to develop the tenements. This arrangement is not expected to materially alter the Company’s potential economic return on the funds invested as part of the exploration program.
Tres Estradas
The TE project was historically explored for gold in a Joint Venture between CBC and Santa Elina. Three diamond drill holes that were targeting gold, intersected broad zones of carbonatites with associated phosphate mineralisation. Drill hole FD3E-03 returned 80 metres @ 3.41% P₂O₅ (from 16 metres) including 17 metres @ 4.94% P₂O₅ (from 56 metres) and drill hole FD3E-01 returned 96 metres @ 2.56% P₂O₅ (from 39 metres) including 35 metres @ 3.45% P₂O₅ (from 68 metres).
The first 15 metres of these holes were never sampled and have the potential to host higher grade oxide ore as indicated by grab surface rock samples collected by Aguia that have returned assays up to 31.70%, 25.80% and 22.90% P₂O₅.
Exploration programs of surface sampling and drilling will test the TE target over a strike length of one kilometre and widths up to greater than 100 metres.
segunda-feira, 29 de agosto de 2011
sexta-feira, 19 de agosto de 2011
Cargill to Sell Stake in Mosaic
Setting Off Another Fertilizer Chase (MOS, BHP, POT, AGU, MON, RIO, VALE)
Posted: January 19, 2011 at 9:54 am
Time to get ready for another chase scene in the fertilizer business. Privately held agricultural giant Cargill Inc. plans to sell its 64% stake in Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) for about $24.3 billion. The sale puts a total value on Mosaic of about $38 billion. While Mosaic could last as a standalone public company, it is more likely that another company will buy Mosaic as it is a significant supplier of potash fertilizer. BHP Billiton plc (NYSE: BHP), which failed to acquire Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) for $38.6 billion last year, is an obvious suitor.
Other fertilizer makers, such as Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) or Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) are possible pursuers, but a purchase of that size may be beyond their means. Mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto plc (NYSE: RIO), and Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) are also possibilities. Any of these three could acquire either a majority share of Mosaic, or, in the case of BHP, buy the company outright. Both Rio Tinto and Vale have market caps around $140 billion, while BHP’s market cap is about $245 billion.
While BHP is the instant choice to acquire a publicly traded Mosaic, a strong case could be made for Vale. The Brazilian company has acquired a number of potash mining projects that are still in the development stage. The first to start operation is the Rio Colorado project, set to begin mining in 2013.
Vale is also sitting on about $13 billion in cash and the company’s operating cash flow in the third quarter totaled almost $9 billion. Long-term debt is substantial, at around $38 billion, but Mosaic would be such a good fit for Vale and the prospects for the future would be so bright that financing opportunities would certainly be there.
BHP could toss a monkey wrench into such a deal, and the company has already shown that it can line up enough financing to make a $38 billion deal happen. BHP, which made an offer of $130/share for Potash Corp., set off the potash chase. Shares in Potash Corp. have risen to around $174/share since the BHP offer amid rising demand for fertilizer.
An unknown, of course, is whether a Chinese buyer could appear. At the time of the BHP offer for Potash Corp., China’s state-owned chemical company, Sinochem, tried to put together a competing bid for Potash Corp., but failed to get financing from the state’s sovereign wealth fund. A bid for Mosaic would put the Chinese in the position of bidding for potash production in Canada and the US, where legislative opposition to selling strategic minerals has proven to be a show-stopper.
A final consideration is the time frame for the Cargill sale. Cargill is jumping through a number of hoops to make this a tax-free sale of its Mosaic stake. As a result, the sale will take up to two years to complete.
Any effort by Vale or any other company to acquire Mosaic will seem like a slow-motion transaction, which is likely to begin in the second quarter of this year when the deal closes, but the first sale of the Cargill-owned shares won’t happen until sometime later. That’s when a potential buyer will want to put a stake in the ground, and Vale is at the top of the list of potential buyers.
Paul Ausick
Posted: January 19, 2011 at 9:54 am
Time to get ready for another chase scene in the fertilizer business. Privately held agricultural giant Cargill Inc. plans to sell its 64% stake in Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) for about $24.3 billion. The sale puts a total value on Mosaic of about $38 billion. While Mosaic could last as a standalone public company, it is more likely that another company will buy Mosaic as it is a significant supplier of potash fertilizer. BHP Billiton plc (NYSE: BHP), which failed to acquire Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) for $38.6 billion last year, is an obvious suitor.
Other fertilizer makers, such as Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) or Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) are possible pursuers, but a purchase of that size may be beyond their means. Mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto plc (NYSE: RIO), and Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) are also possibilities. Any of these three could acquire either a majority share of Mosaic, or, in the case of BHP, buy the company outright. Both Rio Tinto and Vale have market caps around $140 billion, while BHP’s market cap is about $245 billion.
While BHP is the instant choice to acquire a publicly traded Mosaic, a strong case could be made for Vale. The Brazilian company has acquired a number of potash mining projects that are still in the development stage. The first to start operation is the Rio Colorado project, set to begin mining in 2013.
Vale is also sitting on about $13 billion in cash and the company’s operating cash flow in the third quarter totaled almost $9 billion. Long-term debt is substantial, at around $38 billion, but Mosaic would be such a good fit for Vale and the prospects for the future would be so bright that financing opportunities would certainly be there.
BHP could toss a monkey wrench into such a deal, and the company has already shown that it can line up enough financing to make a $38 billion deal happen. BHP, which made an offer of $130/share for Potash Corp., set off the potash chase. Shares in Potash Corp. have risen to around $174/share since the BHP offer amid rising demand for fertilizer.
An unknown, of course, is whether a Chinese buyer could appear. At the time of the BHP offer for Potash Corp., China’s state-owned chemical company, Sinochem, tried to put together a competing bid for Potash Corp., but failed to get financing from the state’s sovereign wealth fund. A bid for Mosaic would put the Chinese in the position of bidding for potash production in Canada and the US, where legislative opposition to selling strategic minerals has proven to be a show-stopper.
A final consideration is the time frame for the Cargill sale. Cargill is jumping through a number of hoops to make this a tax-free sale of its Mosaic stake. As a result, the sale will take up to two years to complete.
Any effort by Vale or any other company to acquire Mosaic will seem like a slow-motion transaction, which is likely to begin in the second quarter of this year when the deal closes, but the first sale of the Cargill-owned shares won’t happen until sometime later. That’s when a potential buyer will want to put a stake in the ground, and Vale is at the top of the list of potential buyers.
Paul Ausick
quinta-feira, 18 de agosto de 2011
Vale vai "deixar" os Nitrogenados para a Petrobrás?
São Paulo - A Petrobras quer que a Vale utilize como moeda de troca para obter a prorrogação do contrato do arrendamento das minas de carnalita, minério do qual se extrai o potássio, em Sergipe, a unidade de nitrogenados que a mineradora herdou da Fosfértil, empresa que adquiriu no ano passado.
Segundo fontes próximas das discussões, as companhias estão próximas de um acordo. A Vale precisa de mais prazo para dar andamento aos investimentos em Sergipe, enquanto a Petrobras quer ampliar sua produção de nitrogenados para ter mais um destino para o gás natural. Nitrogênio, fósforo e potássio são a matéria-prima básica para a produção de fertilizantes, e o Brasil depende da importação de todos eles.
A Vale opera a mina de Taquari-Vassouras (SE) desde 1992, cujos direitos minerários são da Petrobras. Esses direitos vencem em 2017. A produtora de minério de ferro tenta há alguns anos argumentar com a Petrobras para que a estatal renove o prazo de exploração, mas até o momento não teve nenhuma resposta.
Caso o prazo seja ampliado, a Vale programa investimentos de US$ 4 bilhões com objetivo de elevar a produção de potássio no local das atuais 700 mil toneladas para 2,4 milhões de toneladas. Hoje, esse é o único local onde existe produção do insumo no Brasil, que responde por apenas 10% do total consumido no País; o restante é importado.
A meta da mineradora é chegar a 3,4 milhões de toneladas de potássio em 2015, considerando todas suas operações de potássio, inclusive a da Argentina.
Amônia
Além da unidade de nitrogenados que a mineradora herdou da Fosfértil, localizada em Araucária (PR), a Vale também produz nitrogenados em Cubatão (SP), outra unidade que era da Fosfértil. No Brasil, há outros dois polos para a síntese de amônia - o primeiro composto nitrogenado -, que pertencem à Petrobras: o complexo de Laranjeiras (SE) e o de Camaçari (BA).
Não é à toa que o interesse da estatal pode estar nesses ativos. A Petrobras está investindo para monetizar as reservas de gás natural do pré-sal e da Bacia de Santos. Com o investimento na produção de nitrogenados, a Petrobras conseguiria, além de aumentar a oferta nacional de fertilizantes, garantir um mercado consumidor firme para esse gás. Também nesse sentido, a estatal prevê construir outras três unidades de nitrogenados: em Três Lagoas (MS), Uberaba (MG) e em Linhares (ES).
Segundo fontes próximas das discussões, as companhias estão próximas de um acordo. A Vale precisa de mais prazo para dar andamento aos investimentos em Sergipe, enquanto a Petrobras quer ampliar sua produção de nitrogenados para ter mais um destino para o gás natural. Nitrogênio, fósforo e potássio são a matéria-prima básica para a produção de fertilizantes, e o Brasil depende da importação de todos eles.
A Vale opera a mina de Taquari-Vassouras (SE) desde 1992, cujos direitos minerários são da Petrobras. Esses direitos vencem em 2017. A produtora de minério de ferro tenta há alguns anos argumentar com a Petrobras para que a estatal renove o prazo de exploração, mas até o momento não teve nenhuma resposta.
Caso o prazo seja ampliado, a Vale programa investimentos de US$ 4 bilhões com objetivo de elevar a produção de potássio no local das atuais 700 mil toneladas para 2,4 milhões de toneladas. Hoje, esse é o único local onde existe produção do insumo no Brasil, que responde por apenas 10% do total consumido no País; o restante é importado.
A meta da mineradora é chegar a 3,4 milhões de toneladas de potássio em 2015, considerando todas suas operações de potássio, inclusive a da Argentina.
Amônia
Além da unidade de nitrogenados que a mineradora herdou da Fosfértil, localizada em Araucária (PR), a Vale também produz nitrogenados em Cubatão (SP), outra unidade que era da Fosfértil. No Brasil, há outros dois polos para a síntese de amônia - o primeiro composto nitrogenado -, que pertencem à Petrobras: o complexo de Laranjeiras (SE) e o de Camaçari (BA).
Não é à toa que o interesse da estatal pode estar nesses ativos. A Petrobras está investindo para monetizar as reservas de gás natural do pré-sal e da Bacia de Santos. Com o investimento na produção de nitrogenados, a Petrobras conseguiria, além de aumentar a oferta nacional de fertilizantes, garantir um mercado consumidor firme para esse gás. Também nesse sentido, a estatal prevê construir outras três unidades de nitrogenados: em Três Lagoas (MS), Uberaba (MG) e em Linhares (ES).
terça-feira, 16 de agosto de 2011
Anglo Amercian decide não vender a Copebrás!
Anglo American CEO: To Keep Copebras;Sees Strong Demand,Returns
By Alex MacDonald
Published July 29, 2011
| Dow Jones Newswires
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Globally diversified mining company Anglo American PLC (AAL.LN) has decided not to sell its Copebras phosphates business in Brazil due to strong demand and high returns from the business, the company's chief executive said Friday.
"We continue to look at the phosphates industry. Obviously there is a strong demand in the agriculture side," Cynthia Carroll told journalists in a call about its first half results. "We are seeing high returns and high demand for the near and medium term," from the business, she added.
Copebras generated first half operating profit of $54 million, up more than four-fold on the previous period.
Anglo American had previously considered selling the asset as part of its non-core disposal program which as so far generated $3.3 billion in cumulative proceeds. Anglo American also decided not to sell its Peace River Coal unit in Canada earlier this year for similar reasons and plans to expand the asset.
Copyright © 2011 Dow Jones Newswires
By Alex MacDonald
Published July 29, 2011
| Dow Jones Newswires
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Globally diversified mining company Anglo American PLC (AAL.LN) has decided not to sell its Copebras phosphates business in Brazil due to strong demand and high returns from the business, the company's chief executive said Friday.
"We continue to look at the phosphates industry. Obviously there is a strong demand in the agriculture side," Cynthia Carroll told journalists in a call about its first half results. "We are seeing high returns and high demand for the near and medium term," from the business, she added.
Copebras generated first half operating profit of $54 million, up more than four-fold on the previous period.
Anglo American had previously considered selling the asset as part of its non-core disposal program which as so far generated $3.3 billion in cumulative proceeds. Anglo American also decided not to sell its Peace River Coal unit in Canada earlier this year for similar reasons and plans to expand the asset.
Copyright © 2011 Dow Jones Newswires
segunda-feira, 15 de agosto de 2011
A mineração de Fosfatos em Catalão - GO e conexões com o Ferro da Vale
fonte: CETEM
Na década de 1960, a Serrana S.A. de Mineração, empresa do Grupo Santista, via acabarem-se as reservas de fosfato, minério residual de alto teor que explotava em Cajati, SP.
Encarregou então o Prof. Paulo Abib Andery de desenvolver um processo de beneficiamento do minério primário, o carbonatito presente na chaminé alcalina. O esforço foi bem-sucedido e surgiu o Processo Serrana de Beneficiamento de Fosfatos. Como conseqüência, foram projetadas a mina e a usina de beneficiamento e todo um complexo químico destinado à produção de fertilizantes fosfatados solúveis.
O projeto foi executado pela equipe da Serrana e por empresas projetistas brasileiras – algo absolutamente inovador na época. As nossas empresas de engenharia eram encarregadas apenas do detalhamento das soluções desenvolvidas em empresas estrangeiras. Como essas empresas não conheciam a realidade brasileira, os resultados, via de regra, deixavam a desejar.
Convém registrar que, já naquela época, o Prof. Paulo Abib se preocupava não apenas em baixar o teor de fosfato nos rejeitos, visando à sua recuperação, mas também com o aproveitamento do rejeito do beneficiamento. O sucesso dessa providência permitiu o aproveitamento do material para a fabricação de cimento portland, num empreendimento paralelo, que muitas vezes se revelou muito mais atrativo do ponto de vista financeiro que o
empreendimento que lhe deu origem.
Em fins da década de 1980, foi desenvolvido um processo para proveitamento do fosfogesso – subproduto gerado na fabricação do ácido fosfórico. Para cada tonelada de ácido fosfórico produzida são geradas 4,5 toneladas de fosfogesso. Esse subproduto, até então sem destinação nenhuma, era acumulado ao lado das indústrias de fertilizantes formando montanhas
enormes, desfigurando a paisagem e constituindo-se num problema ambiental muito sério.
Na ocasião do desenvolvimento desse processo, o Brasil era quase que totalmente dependente da importação de fosfatos para a fabricação de fertilizantes. Não é à toa que grande número das indústrias se localiza à beira-mar. A disponibilização desse processo de beneficiamento permitiu o aproveitamento de outras reservas: Araxá, Tapira, Catalão I e II, Patos
de Minas e Anitápolis (que até esta data não chegou a ser aproveitada). Toda uma indústria brasileira de rocha fosfática, única no mundo, veio a ser estruturada a partir do respectivo desenvolvimento tecnológico. Conseqüência tão importante quanto esta foi a criação da empresa de engenharia que levou o nome de Paulo Abib .
Em 1972, um consórcio de empresas alemãs projetou a usina de beneficiamento do Cauê, para a CVRD, em Itabira, MG. Esgotando-se os minérios granulados de alto teor que constituíam a cobertura da mina, fazia-se necessário passar a explotar o itabirito, minério de teor
mais baixo e que tem como principal mineral de ganga o quartzo. Era na época a maior usina de beneficiamento do mundo, com 35 milhões de toneladas de concentrado produzidas a cada ano.
Seja por falta de representatividade da amostra estudada, seja por viés tecnológico dos projetistas, ou por falta de conhecimento da realidade brasileira, a usina apresentou insuperáveis dificuldades de funcionamento. Decidiu-se então reformá-la, do que foi encarregada a empresa Paulo Abib. A escala do empreendimento era tão grande que a usina-piloto em que o circuito foi
testado tinha capacidade para 1 milhão de toneladas por ano de produção de concentrado. Da mesma forma, tamanha era a responsabilidade da modificação que inicialmente foi modificada apenas uma das múltiplas linhas paralelas em que foi projetada a usina do Cauê, e, uma vez consolidadas todas as decisões, estendida a modificação para o restante da usina.
Esse núcleo de profissionais, ampliado, encarregou-se dos outros projetos que vieram em seqüência e que transformaram a CVRD no gigante que hoje é: Conceição, Capanema-Serra Geral, Timbopeba e, mais tarde, Carajás.
Evidentemente, apesar do papel preponderante no mercado, a Paulo Abib Engenharia não era a única. Outras empresas constituíram grupos brilhantes e tinham a sua parcela de mercado.
Na década de 1960, a Serrana S.A. de Mineração, empresa do Grupo Santista, via acabarem-se as reservas de fosfato, minério residual de alto teor que explotava em Cajati, SP.
Encarregou então o Prof. Paulo Abib Andery de desenvolver um processo de beneficiamento do minério primário, o carbonatito presente na chaminé alcalina. O esforço foi bem-sucedido e surgiu o Processo Serrana de Beneficiamento de Fosfatos. Como conseqüência, foram projetadas a mina e a usina de beneficiamento e todo um complexo químico destinado à produção de fertilizantes fosfatados solúveis.
O projeto foi executado pela equipe da Serrana e por empresas projetistas brasileiras – algo absolutamente inovador na época. As nossas empresas de engenharia eram encarregadas apenas do detalhamento das soluções desenvolvidas em empresas estrangeiras. Como essas empresas não conheciam a realidade brasileira, os resultados, via de regra, deixavam a desejar.
Convém registrar que, já naquela época, o Prof. Paulo Abib se preocupava não apenas em baixar o teor de fosfato nos rejeitos, visando à sua recuperação, mas também com o aproveitamento do rejeito do beneficiamento. O sucesso dessa providência permitiu o aproveitamento do material para a fabricação de cimento portland, num empreendimento paralelo, que muitas vezes se revelou muito mais atrativo do ponto de vista financeiro que o
empreendimento que lhe deu origem.
Em fins da década de 1980, foi desenvolvido um processo para proveitamento do fosfogesso – subproduto gerado na fabricação do ácido fosfórico. Para cada tonelada de ácido fosfórico produzida são geradas 4,5 toneladas de fosfogesso. Esse subproduto, até então sem destinação nenhuma, era acumulado ao lado das indústrias de fertilizantes formando montanhas
enormes, desfigurando a paisagem e constituindo-se num problema ambiental muito sério.
Na ocasião do desenvolvimento desse processo, o Brasil era quase que totalmente dependente da importação de fosfatos para a fabricação de fertilizantes. Não é à toa que grande número das indústrias se localiza à beira-mar. A disponibilização desse processo de beneficiamento permitiu o aproveitamento de outras reservas: Araxá, Tapira, Catalão I e II, Patos
de Minas e Anitápolis (que até esta data não chegou a ser aproveitada). Toda uma indústria brasileira de rocha fosfática, única no mundo, veio a ser estruturada a partir do respectivo desenvolvimento tecnológico. Conseqüência tão importante quanto esta foi a criação da empresa de engenharia que levou o nome de Paulo Abib .
Em 1972, um consórcio de empresas alemãs projetou a usina de beneficiamento do Cauê, para a CVRD, em Itabira, MG. Esgotando-se os minérios granulados de alto teor que constituíam a cobertura da mina, fazia-se necessário passar a explotar o itabirito, minério de teor
mais baixo e que tem como principal mineral de ganga o quartzo. Era na época a maior usina de beneficiamento do mundo, com 35 milhões de toneladas de concentrado produzidas a cada ano.
Seja por falta de representatividade da amostra estudada, seja por viés tecnológico dos projetistas, ou por falta de conhecimento da realidade brasileira, a usina apresentou insuperáveis dificuldades de funcionamento. Decidiu-se então reformá-la, do que foi encarregada a empresa Paulo Abib. A escala do empreendimento era tão grande que a usina-piloto em que o circuito foi
testado tinha capacidade para 1 milhão de toneladas por ano de produção de concentrado. Da mesma forma, tamanha era a responsabilidade da modificação que inicialmente foi modificada apenas uma das múltiplas linhas paralelas em que foi projetada a usina do Cauê, e, uma vez consolidadas todas as decisões, estendida a modificação para o restante da usina.
Esse núcleo de profissionais, ampliado, encarregou-se dos outros projetos que vieram em seqüência e que transformaram a CVRD no gigante que hoje é: Conceição, Capanema-Serra Geral, Timbopeba e, mais tarde, Carajás.
Evidentemente, apesar do papel preponderante no mercado, a Paulo Abib Engenharia não era a única. Outras empresas constituíram grupos brilhantes e tinham a sua parcela de mercado.
Phosphate rock demand into the next century: Impact on world food supply
by James R. Herring and Richard J. Fantel
Abstract
A vital and indisputable link exists between phosphate rock and world food supply. Phosphate rock is the source of phosphorus used to make phosphatic fertilizers, essential for growing the food needed by humans in the world today and in the future. We modeled the depletion of the known reserves and reserve base (which includes reserves) of phosphate rock based on various scenarios for increasing population and future demand for phosphate. Using these scenarios, the presently known reserves will be depleted within about 50 years, and the remainder of the reserve base will be depleted within the next 100 years. For this model, we used rates of growth of demand for phosphate rock of between 1 and 1.7 percent annually. We also examined demand rates that decrease over time toward demand stasis. Growthrate scenarios that stabilize demand at the year 2100 are little different from unconstrained growth. Demand stabilization by 2025 extends the reserve base by only about 50 years. Additional considerations could affect these depletion scenarios, causing them to be substantially too high or too low. Nonetheless, the incluctable conclusion in a world of continuing phosphate demand is that society, to extend phosphate rock reserves and reserve base beyond the approximate 100 year depletion date, must find additional reserves and/ or reduce the rate of growth of phosphate demand in the future. Society must: (1) increase the efficiency of use of known resources of easily minable phosphate rock; (2) discover new, economically-minable resources; or (3) develop the technology to economically mine the vast but currently uneconomic resources of phosphate rock that exist in the world (in land and offshore). Otherwise, the future availability of present-cost phosphate, and the cost or availability of world food will be compromised, perhaps substantially.
Abstract
A vital and indisputable link exists between phosphate rock and world food supply. Phosphate rock is the source of phosphorus used to make phosphatic fertilizers, essential for growing the food needed by humans in the world today and in the future. We modeled the depletion of the known reserves and reserve base (which includes reserves) of phosphate rock based on various scenarios for increasing population and future demand for phosphate. Using these scenarios, the presently known reserves will be depleted within about 50 years, and the remainder of the reserve base will be depleted within the next 100 years. For this model, we used rates of growth of demand for phosphate rock of between 1 and 1.7 percent annually. We also examined demand rates that decrease over time toward demand stasis. Growthrate scenarios that stabilize demand at the year 2100 are little different from unconstrained growth. Demand stabilization by 2025 extends the reserve base by only about 50 years. Additional considerations could affect these depletion scenarios, causing them to be substantially too high or too low. Nonetheless, the incluctable conclusion in a world of continuing phosphate demand is that society, to extend phosphate rock reserves and reserve base beyond the approximate 100 year depletion date, must find additional reserves and/ or reduce the rate of growth of phosphate demand in the future. Society must: (1) increase the efficiency of use of known resources of easily minable phosphate rock; (2) discover new, economically-minable resources; or (3) develop the technology to economically mine the vast but currently uneconomic resources of phosphate rock that exist in the world (in land and offshore). Otherwise, the future availability of present-cost phosphate, and the cost or availability of world food will be compromised, perhaps substantially.
domingo, 14 de agosto de 2011
Moçambique oferece área de três Sergipes à soja brasileira
14/08/2011 - 11h59
FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO
O governo de Moçambique está oferecendo uma área de 6 milhões de hectares --equivalente a três Sergipes para que agricultores brasileiros plantem soja, algodão e milho no norte do país, informa reportagem de Patrícia Campos Mello, na edição deste domingo da Folha.
A primeira leva de 40 agricultores parte de Mato Grosso rumo a Moçambique no mês que vem. As terras são oferecidas em regime de concessão --os brasileiros podem usá-las por 50 anos, renováveis por outros 50, mediante um imposto módico de 37,50 meticais (R$ 21) por hectare, por ano.
O governo busca agricultores brasileiros por causa da experiência no cerrado, que tem características climáticas e de solo muito semelhantes à área oferecida.
FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO
O governo de Moçambique está oferecendo uma área de 6 milhões de hectares --equivalente a três Sergipes para que agricultores brasileiros plantem soja, algodão e milho no norte do país, informa reportagem de Patrícia Campos Mello, na edição deste domingo da Folha.
A primeira leva de 40 agricultores parte de Mato Grosso rumo a Moçambique no mês que vem. As terras são oferecidas em regime de concessão --os brasileiros podem usá-las por 50 anos, renováveis por outros 50, mediante um imposto módico de 37,50 meticais (R$ 21) por hectare, por ano.
O governo busca agricultores brasileiros por causa da experiência no cerrado, que tem características climáticas e de solo muito semelhantes à área oferecida.
How Long Will Florida Phosphate Mining Go On?
from FIPR
For decades, it has been said that the phosphate in Florida could be mined for about another 25 years. Technological advances and market changes, however, have continually lengthened the expected life of phosphate mining, allowing mining of rock that wouldn’t have been mined in previous years.
The Hawthorne Formation, which contains much of the Florida phosphate deposits, covers much of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. In the heart of the Central Florida phosphate district, the Bone Valley Formation overlays the Hawthorn Formation. The two are separated by a limestone layer of varying thickness. It is the Bone Valley Formation that has produced the majority of mining activity in central Florida to date. The Hawthorne Formation is being mined in North Florida. It is also the Hawthorne Formation that is being mined in the southern extension of the central Florida phosphate district.
Florida phosphate reserves alone contain about 10 billion tons of soluble phosphate rock. Based on the current mining rate in Florida, this would last more than 300 years if economic and technological conditions allow.
As we look to the future of phosphate mining in Florida many factors must be considered. For example, in the future it may take less phosphate to fertilize the earth because technological advances may result in more efficient fertilizers that could deliver nutrients to plants only when they need them. Such fertilizers would provide the added benefit of reducing the amount of nutrient runoff into surface and ground water.
Many say the factor limiting phosphate mining in Florida is not the deposit, but the number of people migrating to the state and the development they would require. There is a deposit around the Boyette area in Hillsborough County, for example, that will likely never be mined because the land over it has been developed.
In the future, technological advances and market conditions may lead us to other deposits that would not be considered today. There are large deposits offshore that have formed in the Atlantic and extensive deposits in the Western United States that are too remote to economically mine today.
For decades, it has been said that the phosphate in Florida could be mined for about another 25 years. Technological advances and market changes, however, have continually lengthened the expected life of phosphate mining, allowing mining of rock that wouldn’t have been mined in previous years.
The Hawthorne Formation, which contains much of the Florida phosphate deposits, covers much of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. In the heart of the Central Florida phosphate district, the Bone Valley Formation overlays the Hawthorn Formation. The two are separated by a limestone layer of varying thickness. It is the Bone Valley Formation that has produced the majority of mining activity in central Florida to date. The Hawthorne Formation is being mined in North Florida. It is also the Hawthorne Formation that is being mined in the southern extension of the central Florida phosphate district.
Florida phosphate reserves alone contain about 10 billion tons of soluble phosphate rock. Based on the current mining rate in Florida, this would last more than 300 years if economic and technological conditions allow.
As we look to the future of phosphate mining in Florida many factors must be considered. For example, in the future it may take less phosphate to fertilize the earth because technological advances may result in more efficient fertilizers that could deliver nutrients to plants only when they need them. Such fertilizers would provide the added benefit of reducing the amount of nutrient runoff into surface and ground water.
Many say the factor limiting phosphate mining in Florida is not the deposit, but the number of people migrating to the state and the development they would require. There is a deposit around the Boyette area in Hillsborough County, for example, that will likely never be mined because the land over it has been developed.
In the future, technological advances and market conditions may lead us to other deposits that would not be considered today. There are large deposits offshore that have formed in the Atlantic and extensive deposits in the Western United States that are too remote to economically mine today.
History of Phosphate Fertilizer Production
from FIPR (Florida Institute of Phosphate Research)
Until the 1950s, fertilizer manufacturing facilities were relatively small and produced fertilizers tailored to the soil needs of area farmers, commonly within a 100-mile radius. Prior to 1950, only 4 million tons of primary nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) - were produced yearly. But in the late 1940s this began to change. Domestic agriculture and industry, as well as European and Western Pacific markets devastated in World War II, increasingly requested these nutrients.
In the 1960s, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Land Grant Colleges began to promote higher analysis fertilizers so that more phosphate could be delivered to the farmers at lower costs and changed the way fertilizers were produced. In the 1960s, more concentrated phosphates began replacing normal superphosphate as the primary fertilizer commodity, turning what had been strictly a mining business into chemical production. This was especially true in Florida, which produces approximately 75% of the phosphate rock mined in the U.S. Phosphate rock is no longer sold for fertilizer manufacture. It is exclusively used to make phosphoric acid, almost all of which is used in the production of phosphate fertilizers.
Today (2005) the ammoniated phosphate fertilizer products produced in Florida allow the farmer to apply more fertilizer in one pass, which cut back significantly on labor costs. The higher analysis fertilizers also save on freight costs
Florida phosphate products today include:
DAP (diammonium phosphate): The fertilizer that quickly became the item of commerce because it had the highest concentration of phosphate and nitrogen at 18N - 46P2O5 - 0K2O.
MAP (monoammonium phosphate): This fertilizer is essentially the same as DAP, but it has a lower concentration of nitrogen at 11N - 52P2O5 - 0K2O.
GTSP (granulated triple superphosphate): This fertilizer is very similar to the superphosphate fertilizer that was the fertilizer that traditionally provided the most nutrients to the plant at 46% P2O5. Since GTSP is made by reacting phosphate rock with phosphoric acid, it also provides some calcium and sulfur to the plant.
Superphosphoric Acid: A product that is used to make a higher analysis, or a more concentrated, fluid fertilizer. Liquid fertilization was said to be the future for fertilizer in the 1970s. It did not, however, prove to be much better than traditional DAP or MAP, which both can be slurried if needed. Today the demand for the product is not high and only a few companies produce superphosphoric acid. The only Florida company producing the acid is PCS in north Florida.
Phosphoric Acid: In the past, phosphoric acid was shipped to granulation plants that flourished in farming areas. There it was mixed with ammonia to make phosphate fertilizer. Today only a few independent granulation plants exist because the phosphate companies add the ammonia themselves to produce the ammoniated phosphate fertilizer products they sell. Purified technical- and food-grade phosphoric acid are also sold for use in items such as soft drinks. This product, however, mostly comes from North Carolina and Louisiana phosphate operations.
Animal Feed Supplements: Defluorinated phosphate rock or phosphoric acid are used to make animal feed supplements. PCS, in north Florida, and Mosaic are two Florida phosphate companies that produce animal feed supplements. One way to produce the feed is to combine phosphate rock with a small amount of phosphoric acid, sodium carbonate and then calcine. The most common method, however, is to defluorinate phosphoric acid and react it with lime to get dicalcium phosphate.
Sulfuric Acid: This acid is produced at phosphate plants to be used to react with phosphate rock to produce phosphoric acid. The heat generated off the sulfuric acid production is used to power phosphate manufacturing plants and extra energy is often sold back to the area electric grid. Some sulfuric acid may be sold as a product.
Until the 1950s, fertilizer manufacturing facilities were relatively small and produced fertilizers tailored to the soil needs of area farmers, commonly within a 100-mile radius. Prior to 1950, only 4 million tons of primary nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) - were produced yearly. But in the late 1940s this began to change. Domestic agriculture and industry, as well as European and Western Pacific markets devastated in World War II, increasingly requested these nutrients.
In the 1960s, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Land Grant Colleges began to promote higher analysis fertilizers so that more phosphate could be delivered to the farmers at lower costs and changed the way fertilizers were produced. In the 1960s, more concentrated phosphates began replacing normal superphosphate as the primary fertilizer commodity, turning what had been strictly a mining business into chemical production. This was especially true in Florida, which produces approximately 75% of the phosphate rock mined in the U.S. Phosphate rock is no longer sold for fertilizer manufacture. It is exclusively used to make phosphoric acid, almost all of which is used in the production of phosphate fertilizers.
Today (2005) the ammoniated phosphate fertilizer products produced in Florida allow the farmer to apply more fertilizer in one pass, which cut back significantly on labor costs. The higher analysis fertilizers also save on freight costs
Florida phosphate products today include:
DAP (diammonium phosphate): The fertilizer that quickly became the item of commerce because it had the highest concentration of phosphate and nitrogen at 18N - 46P2O5 - 0K2O.
MAP (monoammonium phosphate): This fertilizer is essentially the same as DAP, but it has a lower concentration of nitrogen at 11N - 52P2O5 - 0K2O.
GTSP (granulated triple superphosphate): This fertilizer is very similar to the superphosphate fertilizer that was the fertilizer that traditionally provided the most nutrients to the plant at 46% P2O5. Since GTSP is made by reacting phosphate rock with phosphoric acid, it also provides some calcium and sulfur to the plant.
Superphosphoric Acid: A product that is used to make a higher analysis, or a more concentrated, fluid fertilizer. Liquid fertilization was said to be the future for fertilizer in the 1970s. It did not, however, prove to be much better than traditional DAP or MAP, which both can be slurried if needed. Today the demand for the product is not high and only a few companies produce superphosphoric acid. The only Florida company producing the acid is PCS in north Florida.
Phosphoric Acid: In the past, phosphoric acid was shipped to granulation plants that flourished in farming areas. There it was mixed with ammonia to make phosphate fertilizer. Today only a few independent granulation plants exist because the phosphate companies add the ammonia themselves to produce the ammoniated phosphate fertilizer products they sell. Purified technical- and food-grade phosphoric acid are also sold for use in items such as soft drinks. This product, however, mostly comes from North Carolina and Louisiana phosphate operations.
Animal Feed Supplements: Defluorinated phosphate rock or phosphoric acid are used to make animal feed supplements. PCS, in north Florida, and Mosaic are two Florida phosphate companies that produce animal feed supplements. One way to produce the feed is to combine phosphate rock with a small amount of phosphoric acid, sodium carbonate and then calcine. The most common method, however, is to defluorinate phosphoric acid and react it with lime to get dicalcium phosphate.
Sulfuric Acid: This acid is produced at phosphate plants to be used to react with phosphate rock to produce phosphoric acid. The heat generated off the sulfuric acid production is used to power phosphate manufacturing plants and extra energy is often sold back to the area electric grid. Some sulfuric acid may be sold as a product.
Khouribga. Les émeutes du phosphate
do telquel-online.com
Les protestations ont commencé fin février.
La capitale des phosphates est sous les projecteurs depuis des mois. Les demandeurs d’emploi ne lâchent pas prise et continuent de manifester devant les installations de l’OCP. Reportage.
Samedi 23 juillet, L’mfassiss, à 15 kilomètres de Khouribga. Le soleil tapant de ce début d’après-midi n’a pas dissuadé des centaines d’habitants de cette petite bourgade de venir manifester devant l’usine de l’OCP. Objet du sit-in : demander de l’emploi. Cela fait plus de trois mois qu’ils campent devant cette unité de lavage du phosphate, la principale de la région. A quelques mètres du portail, des tentes de fortune ont été montées pour abriter les manifestants contre le soleil et les montagnes de poussière blafarde qui se dégagent des usines. Le message est on ne peut plus clair : “Mamfakinch !”. “L’Office a exproprié nos terres en contrepartie de sommes dérisoires et exploite les richesses de la ville, alors que nous, on vit dans la misère. Nous voulons juste du travail pour pouvoir survivre”, tonne Echarfi Allafi, habitant du village. Visage pâle et cernes sous les yeux, ce quadragénaire affirme qu’en dehors de l’OCP, il n’y a pas de vie au village. Comme pour corroborer ses dires, le panneau implanté devant l’usine indique que “le phosphate, c’est la vie”.
Le grand malentendu
La doléance de ce Kouribgui résume à elle seule le gap qui sépare les habitants des villes phosphatières et l’Office chérifien. D’un côté, une population jeune, pour qui être embauché par l’OCP est son droit le plus naturel. Elle fait valoir son droit sur les richesses de son sous-sol et argue les bons et loyaux services des premières générations qui ont travaillé dans les usines de l’Office. De l’autre côté, une entreprise publique, l’une des plus importantes du royaume, qui ne veut (et ne peut) pas troquer son équilibre économique contre une hypothétique paix sociale. Résultat : un décalage frappant entre l’Office et son entourage. C’est, grosso modo, le quiproquo qui explique le bras de fer opposant l’OCP et les villes phosphatières depuis des mois.
“La possibilité de migrer en Europe, qui a longtemps nourri l’espoir des jeunes de ces régions, s’est évaporée. Aujourd’hui, c’est l’OCP qui représente la porte de sortie pour cette jeunesse”, explique Miloud Kharmoudi, habitant à Khouribga et chercheur en économie sociale. “Les gens qui travaillent à l’OCP ont un niveau de vie très élevé par rapport aux autres, ce qui fait que tout le monde aspire à intégrer l’OCP”, renchérit Mostapha, un jeune habitant de Boujniba, village situé à 10 kilomètres de Khouribga. En fait, la question du travail n’est que la partie visible de l’iceberg. Les griefs que les habitants retiennent contre l’Office chérifien sont nombreux : la qualité dégradée de l’eau, les maladies dont ils souffrent ainsi que leur bétail, les pensions dérisoires des retraités...Tous leurs maux sont imputés à l’Office, ce qui rend toute solution quasi impossible.
L’emploi d’abord !
Avec le vent du “printemps arabe” qui a soufflé sur le royaume, la tension est montée de plusieurs crans dans les villes phosphatières. Les premières escarmouches entre les deux protagonistes ont commencé en février dernier. Des centaines de jeunes et fils de retraités de l’Office son sortis à Khouribga pour revendiquer “le droit à un recrutement prioritaire, immédiat et inconditionnel au sein l’OCP”. La tension atteint son summum le 15 mars quand les manifestations, pacifiques au début, prennent une tournure dramatique. Ce “mardi noir”, des centaines de Khouribgui s’attaquent aux locaux de l’OCP, dans le quartier administratif. Plusieurs départements de l’Office subissent ainsi des actes de vandalisme.
Quelques semaines plus tard, la contagion se propage aux autres villes et la ligne ferroviaire de Youssoufia, qui achemine le phosphate vers Safi, est bloquée par les manifestants. A l’origine de l’escalade, une rumeur selon laquelle l’OCP aurait recruté plus de 1000 Sahraouis et jeunes de l’Oriental. “Là où le bât blesse, c’est que les actes de vandalisme sont intervenus après l’annonce d’un vaste programme de recrutement et de formation. Une opération jamais vue au Maroc. Malgré cela, les manifestants ont continué sur leur lancée”, déplore Mohamed Soual, conseiller auprès de Mustapha Terrab, PDG du groupe. Et d’ajouter : “Le problème a deux facettes. Primo, l’Office ne peut pas dépasser ses besoins en recrutement, sinon l’équilibre de l’entreprise sera mis à mal. Secundo, l’activité de l’OCP est hautement sensible et demande un niveau de qualification de plus en plus élevé, ce que nous ne trouvons pas facilement”.
Opération sauvetage
L’Office se retrouve donc entre le marteau de sa responsabilité sociale et l’enclume de la rentabilité, dans un marché de plus en plus concurrentiel. Et démêler cet écheveau est loin d’être une mission de tout repos. Le lancement de “OCP Skills”, un programme qui vise l’emploi de 5800 personnes et la formation de 15 000 autres, en plus d’une aide à la création d’entreprise (qui coûtera à l’Office la bagatelle de 400 millions de dirhams) n’a pas apaisé les esprits. Aussitôt ce plan annoncé, il y a deux semaines, les bureaux de l’Office ont été pris d’assaut pour le dépôt des candidatures. Au total, quelque 90 000 habitants des villes phosphatières ont postulé. L’opération a cependant tourné court dès le début des sélections. Les personnes qui n’ont pas reçu de convocations ont rompu la paix provisoire. “Au début, il y a eu un cafouillage dans l’acheminement des convocations pour les 21 000 personnes concernées, vu la masse des envois qui ciblent plusieurs communes. Après, le bouche à oreille a joué et les personnes qui n’ont pas été convoquées ont embrasé à nouveau la ville”, indique-t-on auprès de l’OCP. Les jeunes chômeurs, de leur côté, affirment que l’opération ne s’est pas déroulée dans les règles de l’art. “La sélection n’a pas été transparente. Plusieurs personnes titulaires de diplômes ont été exclues alors que d’autres, sans qualifications, ont été retenues”, tonne un jeune Khouribgui. C’est dire à quel point les ponts sont coupés entre les deux parties. “Nous sommes déterminés à aller jusqu’au bout, on ne bougera pas d’ici tant que la direction de l’OCP ignorera nos revendications”, nous assure ce Khouribgui. Affaire à suivre.
Arrestation. Silence, on sanctionne !
Les violents affrontements qui ont opposé les manifestants (demandeurs d’emploi) et les forces de l’ordre se sont soldés par un bilan très lourd : des centaines de blessés (des deux côtés) et d’importants dégâts matériels. Des dizaines de jeunes, arrêtés, ont ainsi été déférés devant la justice. Mercredi 20 juillet, la Cour d’appel de Khouribga a rendu son verdict : 11 d’entre eux ont écopé d’un an de prison ferme et de 2000 dirhams d’amende. En plus, ils doivent verser 1,5 million de dommages et intérêts pour le compte de l’OCP. Le jugement a suscité l’indignation des habitants de la capitale des phosphates. A Boujniba, on affirme que les rafles se sont faites de façon aléatoire. “Quelques heures après la fin des affrontements, les forces de l’ordre sont descendues dans la rue et ont commencé à arrêter tous les jeunes qu’ils rencontraient sur leur chemin”, indique le père de Tarik Addai, un jeune détenu. Quinze autres personnes sont en garde à vue dans la prison locale de Khouribga, en attendant leur jugement.
Les protestations ont commencé fin février.
La capitale des phosphates est sous les projecteurs depuis des mois. Les demandeurs d’emploi ne lâchent pas prise et continuent de manifester devant les installations de l’OCP. Reportage.
Samedi 23 juillet, L’mfassiss, à 15 kilomètres de Khouribga. Le soleil tapant de ce début d’après-midi n’a pas dissuadé des centaines d’habitants de cette petite bourgade de venir manifester devant l’usine de l’OCP. Objet du sit-in : demander de l’emploi. Cela fait plus de trois mois qu’ils campent devant cette unité de lavage du phosphate, la principale de la région. A quelques mètres du portail, des tentes de fortune ont été montées pour abriter les manifestants contre le soleil et les montagnes de poussière blafarde qui se dégagent des usines. Le message est on ne peut plus clair : “Mamfakinch !”. “L’Office a exproprié nos terres en contrepartie de sommes dérisoires et exploite les richesses de la ville, alors que nous, on vit dans la misère. Nous voulons juste du travail pour pouvoir survivre”, tonne Echarfi Allafi, habitant du village. Visage pâle et cernes sous les yeux, ce quadragénaire affirme qu’en dehors de l’OCP, il n’y a pas de vie au village. Comme pour corroborer ses dires, le panneau implanté devant l’usine indique que “le phosphate, c’est la vie”.
Le grand malentendu
La doléance de ce Kouribgui résume à elle seule le gap qui sépare les habitants des villes phosphatières et l’Office chérifien. D’un côté, une population jeune, pour qui être embauché par l’OCP est son droit le plus naturel. Elle fait valoir son droit sur les richesses de son sous-sol et argue les bons et loyaux services des premières générations qui ont travaillé dans les usines de l’Office. De l’autre côté, une entreprise publique, l’une des plus importantes du royaume, qui ne veut (et ne peut) pas troquer son équilibre économique contre une hypothétique paix sociale. Résultat : un décalage frappant entre l’Office et son entourage. C’est, grosso modo, le quiproquo qui explique le bras de fer opposant l’OCP et les villes phosphatières depuis des mois.
“La possibilité de migrer en Europe, qui a longtemps nourri l’espoir des jeunes de ces régions, s’est évaporée. Aujourd’hui, c’est l’OCP qui représente la porte de sortie pour cette jeunesse”, explique Miloud Kharmoudi, habitant à Khouribga et chercheur en économie sociale. “Les gens qui travaillent à l’OCP ont un niveau de vie très élevé par rapport aux autres, ce qui fait que tout le monde aspire à intégrer l’OCP”, renchérit Mostapha, un jeune habitant de Boujniba, village situé à 10 kilomètres de Khouribga. En fait, la question du travail n’est que la partie visible de l’iceberg. Les griefs que les habitants retiennent contre l’Office chérifien sont nombreux : la qualité dégradée de l’eau, les maladies dont ils souffrent ainsi que leur bétail, les pensions dérisoires des retraités...Tous leurs maux sont imputés à l’Office, ce qui rend toute solution quasi impossible.
L’emploi d’abord !
Avec le vent du “printemps arabe” qui a soufflé sur le royaume, la tension est montée de plusieurs crans dans les villes phosphatières. Les premières escarmouches entre les deux protagonistes ont commencé en février dernier. Des centaines de jeunes et fils de retraités de l’Office son sortis à Khouribga pour revendiquer “le droit à un recrutement prioritaire, immédiat et inconditionnel au sein l’OCP”. La tension atteint son summum le 15 mars quand les manifestations, pacifiques au début, prennent une tournure dramatique. Ce “mardi noir”, des centaines de Khouribgui s’attaquent aux locaux de l’OCP, dans le quartier administratif. Plusieurs départements de l’Office subissent ainsi des actes de vandalisme.
Quelques semaines plus tard, la contagion se propage aux autres villes et la ligne ferroviaire de Youssoufia, qui achemine le phosphate vers Safi, est bloquée par les manifestants. A l’origine de l’escalade, une rumeur selon laquelle l’OCP aurait recruté plus de 1000 Sahraouis et jeunes de l’Oriental. “Là où le bât blesse, c’est que les actes de vandalisme sont intervenus après l’annonce d’un vaste programme de recrutement et de formation. Une opération jamais vue au Maroc. Malgré cela, les manifestants ont continué sur leur lancée”, déplore Mohamed Soual, conseiller auprès de Mustapha Terrab, PDG du groupe. Et d’ajouter : “Le problème a deux facettes. Primo, l’Office ne peut pas dépasser ses besoins en recrutement, sinon l’équilibre de l’entreprise sera mis à mal. Secundo, l’activité de l’OCP est hautement sensible et demande un niveau de qualification de plus en plus élevé, ce que nous ne trouvons pas facilement”.
Opération sauvetage
L’Office se retrouve donc entre le marteau de sa responsabilité sociale et l’enclume de la rentabilité, dans un marché de plus en plus concurrentiel. Et démêler cet écheveau est loin d’être une mission de tout repos. Le lancement de “OCP Skills”, un programme qui vise l’emploi de 5800 personnes et la formation de 15 000 autres, en plus d’une aide à la création d’entreprise (qui coûtera à l’Office la bagatelle de 400 millions de dirhams) n’a pas apaisé les esprits. Aussitôt ce plan annoncé, il y a deux semaines, les bureaux de l’Office ont été pris d’assaut pour le dépôt des candidatures. Au total, quelque 90 000 habitants des villes phosphatières ont postulé. L’opération a cependant tourné court dès le début des sélections. Les personnes qui n’ont pas reçu de convocations ont rompu la paix provisoire. “Au début, il y a eu un cafouillage dans l’acheminement des convocations pour les 21 000 personnes concernées, vu la masse des envois qui ciblent plusieurs communes. Après, le bouche à oreille a joué et les personnes qui n’ont pas été convoquées ont embrasé à nouveau la ville”, indique-t-on auprès de l’OCP. Les jeunes chômeurs, de leur côté, affirment que l’opération ne s’est pas déroulée dans les règles de l’art. “La sélection n’a pas été transparente. Plusieurs personnes titulaires de diplômes ont été exclues alors que d’autres, sans qualifications, ont été retenues”, tonne un jeune Khouribgui. C’est dire à quel point les ponts sont coupés entre les deux parties. “Nous sommes déterminés à aller jusqu’au bout, on ne bougera pas d’ici tant que la direction de l’OCP ignorera nos revendications”, nous assure ce Khouribgui. Affaire à suivre.
Arrestation. Silence, on sanctionne !
Les violents affrontements qui ont opposé les manifestants (demandeurs d’emploi) et les forces de l’ordre se sont soldés par un bilan très lourd : des centaines de blessés (des deux côtés) et d’importants dégâts matériels. Des dizaines de jeunes, arrêtés, ont ainsi été déférés devant la justice. Mercredi 20 juillet, la Cour d’appel de Khouribga a rendu son verdict : 11 d’entre eux ont écopé d’un an de prison ferme et de 2000 dirhams d’amende. En plus, ils doivent verser 1,5 million de dommages et intérêts pour le compte de l’OCP. Le jugement a suscité l’indignation des habitants de la capitale des phosphates. A Boujniba, on affirme que les rafles se sont faites de façon aléatoire. “Quelques heures après la fin des affrontements, les forces de l’ordre sont descendues dans la rue et ont commencé à arrêter tous les jeunes qu’ils rencontraient sur leur chemin”, indique le père de Tarik Addai, un jeune détenu. Quinze autres personnes sont en garde à vue dans la prison locale de Khouribga, en attendant leur jugement.
sábado, 6 de agosto de 2011
P&K leadership
0123456789
Mosaic
PotashCorp
Belaruskali
Israel Chemicals
OCP
K+S
Silvinit
Uralkali
GCT
Yuntianhua
MILLION TONNES PRODUCTION, 3 YEAR AVERAGE
Read more: http://www.faqs.org/sec-filings/110209/MOSAIC-CO_8-K/dex991.htm#ixzz1UFfyASiK
Where there is smoke...
Jan 21 (Reuters) - Brazilian iron ore miner Vale (VALE5.SA) (RIO.N) denied rumors on Friday that it was in talks to buy a fertilizer company.
Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] is reported to have been entertaining bids for Mosaic Co (MOS.N), the world's second-largest fertilizer producer, in which it has a controlling stake. [ID:nN19219995] (Writing by Reese Ewing, editing by Gerald E. McCormick).
Gossips says that Vale is looking for Mosaic, and or PCS, and or even a stake in OCP...future will say!
Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] is reported to have been entertaining bids for Mosaic Co (MOS.N), the world's second-largest fertilizer producer, in which it has a controlling stake. [ID:nN19219995] (Writing by Reese Ewing, editing by Gerald E. McCormick).
Gossips says that Vale is looking for Mosaic, and or PCS, and or even a stake in OCP...future will say!
quarta-feira, 3 de agosto de 2011
Lucro da Vale Fertilizantes no 2o Trimestre de 2011
Maior fabricante nacional da matérias-primas para a produção de fertilizantes, a Vale Fertilizantes registrou um resultado líquido positivo de R$ 115 milhões no segundo trimestre de 2011, revertendo o prejuízo de R$ 4 milhões de igual trimestre de 2010.
No primeiro trimestre deste ano, o lucro foi de R$ 114 milhões.
A receita operacional da companhia foi de R$ 1,241 bilhão, 124% maior do que os R$ 552 milhões registrados no segundo trimestre do ano passado. O desempenho da empresa vem sendo impactado pelos preços mais altos dos produtos vendidos.
Segundo balanço da companhia, o fosfato bicálcico, por exemplo, foi comercializado no segundo trimestre deste ano a preços médios 15,3% mais altos do que no trimestre anterior.
Além dos preços, os volumes também cresceram. Somente os fosfatados de baixa concentração tiveram aumento de 48,7% no segundo trimestre em relação ao primeiro.
O lucro antes de juros, depreciação e amortização (Ebitda, na sigla em inglês) também cresceu no segundo trimestre de 2011. A geração de caixa atingiu R$ 267 milhões no período, 236% maior do que os R$ 79 milhões registrados em igual intervalo de 2010.
A margem ebtida cresceu para 24,7% no segundo trimestre ante os 16% de igual intervalo do ano passado.
A avaliação da companhia, divulgada em seu balanço, é a de que após a queda significativa da demanda global de fertilizantes entre os anos de 2008 e 2009, e da recuperação em 2010, o ano de 2011 tem sido de consolidação da demanda, suportada pela forte recuperação dos mercados tradicionais e pelo sustentado nível de consumo dos mercados emergentes.
No primeiro trimestre deste ano, o lucro foi de R$ 114 milhões.
A receita operacional da companhia foi de R$ 1,241 bilhão, 124% maior do que os R$ 552 milhões registrados no segundo trimestre do ano passado. O desempenho da empresa vem sendo impactado pelos preços mais altos dos produtos vendidos.
Segundo balanço da companhia, o fosfato bicálcico, por exemplo, foi comercializado no segundo trimestre deste ano a preços médios 15,3% mais altos do que no trimestre anterior.
Além dos preços, os volumes também cresceram. Somente os fosfatados de baixa concentração tiveram aumento de 48,7% no segundo trimestre em relação ao primeiro.
O lucro antes de juros, depreciação e amortização (Ebitda, na sigla em inglês) também cresceu no segundo trimestre de 2011. A geração de caixa atingiu R$ 267 milhões no período, 236% maior do que os R$ 79 milhões registrados em igual intervalo de 2010.
A margem ebtida cresceu para 24,7% no segundo trimestre ante os 16% de igual intervalo do ano passado.
A avaliação da companhia, divulgada em seu balanço, é a de que após a queda significativa da demanda global de fertilizantes entre os anos de 2008 e 2009, e da recuperação em 2010, o ano de 2011 tem sido de consolidação da demanda, suportada pela forte recuperação dos mercados tradicionais e pelo sustentado nível de consumo dos mercados emergentes.
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