WINNIPEG – After clearing various regulation hurdles, Agrium and the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan merged together at the start of 2018 to become the world’s largest fertilizer company, Nutrien. At the time Nutrien had made various promises and many in Western Canada were cautious, hoping for the best but not fully knowing what to expect.
Now a year later, Nutrien has begun to settle into its new role in the agriculture world and according to retailers and producers it hasn’t really shaken things up all that much. However, there are a few things that still have many in Western Canada cautiously watching.
“I don’t want to pretend to call it a non-event because there’s always a concern about consolidation and all I can say at the moment is it doesn’t have any obvious impact,” said Ray Redfurn, president and founder of Redfern Farm Services in southwestern Manitoba.
Before the merger independent crop input retailer Redfern Farm Services sold both Agrium and Potash Corp. products. Most Agrium products were bought directly from the company, while Potash Corp. products were bought through a middleman, Agrico. Since the merger purchases have continued same as before. Redfern estimates though that an increasing portion of their purchases are now being bought directly through Nutrien.
On the producer side of things it’s still a wait and see game when it comes to the merger as many of the new company’s changes are still ongoing, according to Todd Lewis, president of the Saskatchewan Agriculture Producers Association (APAS).
For the rest of this article: https://www.producer.com/2019/01/nutrien-merger-effects-ongoing-one-year-later/