Potash facts

Potash refers to a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium (chemical symbol K), a vital nutrient for plants and a key component in fertilizers.

It is produced primarily as potassium chloride (KCl), also known as muriate of potash (MOP). Because of variations in potassium content among deposits, potash often measured and reported in terms of potassium oxide (K2O) equivalence for consistency.

Learn more about potash

Uses

Potash is used primarily in fertilizers (about 95%) to support plant growth, increase crop yield and disease resistance, and enhance water preservation. Small quantities are used in manufacturing potassium-bearing chemicals such as:

• detergents
• ceramics
• pharmaceuticals
• water conditioners
• alternatives to de-icing salt

Potassium is an essential element of the human diet, required for the growth and maintenance of tissues, muscles, and organs and for the electrical activity of the heart. There is no substitute for potassium as a vital nutrient for plants, animals and humans.

Production

Potash is mined in Canada by conventional underground mining methods or by injecting water underground and extracting the resulting brine (solution mining).

Canada’s 10 active mines are in Saskatchewan, and in 2024, they produced an estimated 25 million tonnes of MOP, an increase of about 2.1 million tonnes from the previous year.

Four companies account for all potash production in Canada: Nutrien Ltd., The Mosaic Company, Compass Minerals, and German fertilizer producer K+S Potash Canada.

BHP is advancing stages 1 and 2 of the Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan. The first stage is expected to start production in 2027 and is projected to yield about 4.2 million tonnes of potash annually. The second stage is anticipated to start production in 2031 and double the capacity of the mine to reach 8.5 million tonnes a year when fully operational.

Consult a map of producing Canadian mines

International context

Find out more about potash production on an international scale.

Global potash production was estimated at 76.1 million tonnes in 2024. Canada remained the world’s largest producer, contributing 32.8% of the global supply.

Canada, Russia and Belarus typically dominate global potash production, together accounting for 70.5% in 2024. After a decline in 2022, production rebounded in 2023 and 2024, with both Canada and Russia reaching record highs, while Belarusian output recovered near to its 2021 peak.

In 2024, global potash reserves were estimated at more than 4.8 billion tonnes (potassium oxide equivalent). Canada holds the largest share, with known reserves of 1.1 billion tonnes. The following table lists countries with the largest potash reserves globally.

Trade

Canada leads the world in potash exports, shipping about 22.9 million tonnes in 2024, which accounts for over 39% of global exports. The leading destinations of Canadian exports of potash were the United States (53%), Brazil (14%) and China (6%).

In 2024, Canada, Belarus and Russia accounted for almost 77% of global potash exports.

Prices

Potash prices continued to trend downward through 2024, reaching US$278 per tonne in October. By June 2023, they had already fallen to US$328 per tonne as supply concerns eased.

Prices had moderated in the latter half of 2022 but remained above historical averages after peaking at US$1,202 per tonne in April, driven by geopolitical tensions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, strong global demand had pushed prices up sharply to US$807 per tonne. Before that, potash prices had been relatively low through 2020, following a decline from 2013 to 2016.