By: Matthew Hill 19th March 2012 TEXT SIZE Text Smaller Disabled Text Bigger
TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Canada’s biggest diversified miner, Teck Resources, has inked a deal with a branch of China’s Agricultural Ministry to promote using zinc as a fertiliser in the country.
According to industry body the International Zinc Association, almost half the world’s cereal crops are deficient in zinc, and adding the metal, mainly used to coat steel, can boost yields.
In China, the amount of arable land classified as zinc-deficient, at 60%, is even worse than the world average, and this has “serious” impacts of farm production and human health, Teck and the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center (Natesc) of the Ministry of Agriculture of China said in a joint statement over the weekend.
The Agricultural Ministry affiliate and the International Zinc Association had done over 40 field trials of zinc fertiliser in China, which have showed better crop yields and have higher profits for farmers.
The Teck-Natesc tie-up will build on this, with each partner contributing $250 000 to do another 50 field trial demonstration projects and to educate farmers about the benefits of using zinc fertilisers.
At the World Economic Forum, in Davos, in January, Teck penned another agreement with chemicals giant BASF SE to jointly develop zinc fortification and supplementation solutions, with the goal of reducing zinc deficiency among 100-million people in developing countries by 2015.
The partners did not disclose how much money they would contribute to the three-year agreement.
Teck is one of the world's biggest zinc producers, and owns the Red Dog mine in north-west Alaska and a smelter and refinery in British Columbia. The metal contributed 16% of the company's operating profit in 2010. Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter
KZL Price at posting:
16.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
