OREANDA-NEWS. The global potash market will see new players coming in in 2017-2018 to promote a volume-focused major market trend that will gain dominance.

“In the near future, in 2017-2018, there will be new players emerging on the market and the major trend on the potash market will be oriented towards volume in the first place. In this context, I don't see the need for establishing a new joint trader with former Russian partner Uralkali,” Valery Kiriyenko, Belaruskali's CEO, told a news conference in the Belarusian city of Soligorsk.

The newly established institution - OAO Belarusian Potash Company, which now acts as a potash trader for Belaruskali, has proved its virtue, Kiriyenko said.

“It is my personal point of view that we should not make the same mistake. Whether we want it or not, both potash manufacturers will keep acting to their own advantage,” Kiriyenko said.

At the same time, Kiriyenko made a reservation that the situation on the potash market may change, so Belaruskali and Uralkali may consider re-establishing their alliance, if it is to their advantage.

The divorce with Uralkali left ZAO Belarusian Potash Company and Belaruskali resulted in a few significant contracts being lost for the Belarusian party, Kiriyenko said. In his words, Russian top managers in the former

Belarusian Potash Company would not promote Belaruskali's new competitive products on the global market and prevented Belarusian managers from taking part in negotiations with foreign customers.

A lot of people had no faith in the potential of the newly established Belarusian Potash Company, thinking it would hardly be able to restore its position on the market. “Now thanks to the potential of Belarusian experts (who were kept under lock and key by the Russians, and who prevented their participation in business negotiations), we have found a way out,” Kiriyenko said.

Uralkali's decision to dismantle one of the world's two big potash cartels pummelled shares of companies that produce potash and heralded a price war for the key crop nutrient.

As previously reported, on April 18 Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko received new Uralkali co-owner Dmitry Mazepin to discuss the prospects of future cooperation. According to Lukashenko, Belarus would be ready to re-establish a potash trade alliance, but is totally opposed to creating foreign-based joint ventures and will insist that the joint headquarters be located in Minsk, not in Moscow.