African Potash signs supply deal with Zambia distributor

Investors piled into Ringbolt Ventures on Tuesday after the company announced that it has commenced drilling on its Lisbon Valley Potash Project in the Paradox Basin in Utah. By mid-day the small-cap exploration company was trading up 15% on Toronto's venture exchange on above average volumes. Potash was first discovered in the Paradox Basin in an oil and gas well in 1924 and in 1962, Superior Oil Company drilled the first potash at the crest of the Lisbon Valley anticline. Since 1964, potash and by product salt have been produced from the nearby Cane Creek mine, now owned by Intrepid Potash.

Passport Potash, Inc. (TSX VENTURE:PPI)(OTCQX:PPRTF) is pleased to report preliminary results from two core holes that have intersected significant potash deposits at relatively shallow depths in the Holbrook evaporite basin. According to chemical assay results obtained from Skyline Laboratories in Tucson, Arizona, PPI2011-04 ("Core 1") intersected 9.5 feet (1463.0-1472.5 feet) of 12.29% KCL which includes a 4.0 foot (1465.5-1469.5 feet) interval containing 18.28% KCL. PPI2011-6 ("Core 2") intersected 7.5 feet (1437.5-1445.0 feet) of 11.93% KCL within which includes a 2.5 foot (1439.0-1441.5 feet) interval containing 24.34% KCL.

Allana Potash announced that it has received an updated National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant Mineral Resource Estimate from ERCOSPLAN Ingenieurgesellschaft Geotechnik und Bergau ("ERCOSPLAN") on its Danakhil Potash Project in Ethiopia. The updated mineral resource estimate includes all four potash bearing beds (sylvinite, upper and lower carnallite and kainitite) in the project and is comprised of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources totaling 673 Million tonnes with an average grade 18.65% KCl (composite of all four potash beds) and Inferred Mineral Resources totaling 596 Million tonnes with an average grade of 19.96% KCl (composite of all four potash beds).

Shares of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest fertilizer producer, are down just shy of 8% for the week after losing almost 2% in late trade on Friday despite being upgraded to a buy by analysts at TD Newcrest. Others in the sector fared even worse with newcomer Karnalyte Resources shedding 4.3% while heavyweights Mosaic and Agrium lost over 4.4% and 2.3% respectively after the US Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to eliminate some $6bn in annual subsidies for the country's ethanol industry.

Russian news agencies report Uralkali, Russia's largest potash miner, is not planning to buy Belaruskali, a major Uralkali shareholder said on Friday. Last week it was speculated that the cash-strapped ex-Soviet republic Belarus is negotiating the sale of its most prized asset under the terms of a bail-out loan agreed with Russia. Responsible for one-third of the worlds potash fertiliser production, Belaruskali could have been worth as much as $20bn and a merger with Uralkali owned by billionaire Suleiman Kerimov would have created a group with annual production of 21m tonnes, dwarfing current number one Canada’s Potash Corp's 12m tonnes/year.

With a new government-backed CEO, a capex budget and acquisition war chest that dwarfs others, record net profits, a very generous dividend policy, strong fundamentals in its core business, aggressive expansion into high-growth areas and regions – notably potash and Africa – and a stock that looks downright cheap next to its peers, what is not to like about Vale? After slumping to an 8-month low less than a month ago it now seems investors are finally beginning to warm to the the diversified Brazilian miner. In the month since Murilo Ferreira has been head, the planet's third most valuable mining company has risen against the other supermajors and outperformed the broader market by 7%.

Lithium One Inc. announced on Wednesday the commencement of a pumping test program at its flagship Sal de Vida lithium-potash brine project in Argentina (pictured), one of the largest and the highest-grade lithium and potash brine projects in the world. The TSX Venture-listed company traded little changed on the news and like shares in other juniors in the sector is very volatile. Lithium One is down over 10% so far this year and has not been able to reach the record high it hit back in August 2009 when the Argentina project was first acquired.

Stock in Allana Potash Corp jumped by more than 10% to $2.14 with almost 3m shares changing hands – more than double the daily average – by noon on Monday after the company announced it has intersected three zones of potash mineralization - one of which returned the highest grade potash on the project to date – in the southwest portion of the company's land position. Listed on the TSX-Venture exchange Allana's major focus is on a previously explored potash property in Ethiopia with among others the backing of the World Bank. The counter is up close to 200% so far this year and most of the assets at the company's 160 square km Dallol project are still being quantified.

Ethiopia is set to hit its target of more than doubling mining exports to an annual $1 billion ahead of time, the country's mining minister told Reuters, as it promotes gold extraction, but also fertilizer ingredient potash. Ethiopia, though still reliant on commodities like coffee for revenue, is expected to earn around $500 million from mining exports in the financial year to next July, the minister said. It had targeted doubling that over five years from 2010/11.