potash

Destined entirely for use in Brazil, that output would supply roughly a fifth of the country’s potash needs over the mine’s 30-year lifespan.

Shares of potash and phosphate miner Mosaic fell 21% in October, bringing the stock into the red for the year.

Neighboring Uzbekistan also boasts significant reserves of USGS-designated high risk critical minerals, such as magnesium and potash.

The cost of fertiliser has rocketed, too - partly because of trade disputes with Canada, which has raised the cost of potash, a salt imported from Canada by American farmers and used in fertiliser.

A prolonged dispute could have disrupted shipments of a range of goods, from grains and beans to potash, coal and timber.