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Sask. potash production, sales reach record highs in 2021

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Saskatchewan set new records for potash production and sales in 2021.

Overall, production reached 14.2 million tonnes last year, with sales hitting $7.6 billion: both all-time record highs.

Over the past decade and a half Saskatchewan has committed more than $30 billion worth of investment in mine expansions and new projects.

In August of 2021, BHP announced it would be completing the Jansen potash mine more than a decade after the major project was first announced. The Jansen project will have a total investment of $12 billion, making it the single largest economic investment in Saskatchewan’s history.

"Saskatchewan continues to lead the world in the production of potash, which emits 50 per cent fewer emissions and is more sustainably produced here than in any jurisdiction in the world," Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said in a release.

The province also said it will be able to increase the annual value of potash sales to $9 billion before 2030, a target and goal it laid out in Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan.

Typically Saskatchewan accounts for about 30 per cent of world production of potash.

Potash production remains high in 2022, with Nutrien increasing its output due to the conflict in Ukraine. Last week, the company said it will increase production capacity to 15 million tonnes in 2022, the most potash it has ever produced.

The Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA) acknowledged the reason for the increase in potash production is unfortunate and mainly due to the war in Ukraine.

Belarus and Russia are Saskatchewan’s closest competitors when it comes to global potash production.

With Files from CTV News Saskatoon.

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