Potash facts

Potash is the common name given to a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium (chemical symbol K), which is a basic nutrient for plants and an important ingredient in fertilizer.

Potash is produced mostly in the form of potassium chloride (KCl), also known as muriate of potash (MOP). However, because deposits can have different amounts of potassium, potash is also often measured and referred to in terms of potassium oxide (K₂O) equivalence for consistency.

Learn more about potash

Uses

Potash is used primarily in fertilizers (approximately 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, as well as the electrical activity of the heart. No substitute exists for potassium as an essential plant nutrient and as an essential nutritional requirement for animals and humans.

Production

Potash in Canada is mined from underground deposits, either by conventional underground ore mining or by injecting water into the underground ore body and extracting the resulting brine (solution mining).

Canada’s 10 active mines, which are all in Saskatchewan, produced an estimated 24.6 million tonnes of potash in 2022, an increase of 1.3 million tonnes from 2021.

Three companies account for all potash production in Canada: Nutrien Ltd., The Mosaic Company, and, since 2017, German fertilizer producer K+S Potash Canada.

BHP is developing the Jansen Stage 1 (S1) potash project in Saskatchewan, which is anticipated to start production in 2026. Jansen S1 is expected to produce approximately 4.35 million tonnes per year.

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 64.6 million tonnes in 2022. Canada is the world’s largest potash producer, accounting for 38% of the world’s total in 2022.

Three countries (Canada, Russia, and Belarus) typically account for the majority of global potash production and in 2022 were responsible for approximately 66% of the world’s production. In 2022, China overtook Belarus as the third-largest global producer when Belarusian production declined because of factors related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions on the sole potash producer in Belarus.

In 2022, the global reserves of potash were estimated at more than 3.3 billion tonnes (potassium oxide equivalent). Canada had the largest reserves with 1.1 billion tonnes. The following table shows the leading potash reserves by country.

Trade

Canada is the world’s largest exporter of potash. In 2022, Canada exported 21.3 million tonnes of potash, accounting for 46% of the world’s total exports.

Three countries (Canada, Belarus and Russia) accounted for 74% of the potash traded internationally in 2022.

Prices

Potash prices were in decline from 2013 until 2016 and remained relatively low until 2020. In 2021, global potash prices increased in response to strong global demand, ending the year at US$807/tonne. Potash prices surged to record highs in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, peaking at US$1,202/tonne in April. While prices moderated in the second half of the year, they remained above historical levels.