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    • Opinion
    • Opinion: Food systems

    The critical mineral that puts food on the table for half the world

    Opinion: Potash is a fertilizer that plays a strategic role in global food security, and its importance is increasingly being recognized.

    By Farhad Abasov // 29 October 2025

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    Lithium runs our cars. Rare earths power defense and technology systems. Potash feeds us.

    It isn’t flashy and it doesn’t grab tech headlines, but it’s the mineral that keeps about half the world’s food supply alive. When the United States Geological Survey quietly added potash to its draft Critical Minerals List this August, it wasn’t a surprise to industry players. Farmers have said the same thing for years: Whoever controls fertilizer supply controls food security.

    Potash is a general term for a fertilizer based on potassium, the element that helps crops withstand drought and disease, and by extension, underpins global food security. For most of the last century, potash never made headlines. It was reliable and cheap enough to forget about. That’s changed.

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    • Agriculture & Rural Development
    • Private Sector
    • Environment & Natural Resources
    • Economic Development
    • United States Geological Survey (USGS)
    Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the author

    • Farhad Abasov

      Farhad Abasov

      Farhad Abasov is the chair of Millennial Potash Corp., advancing the Banio Potash Project in Gabon in Central Africa, and a resource-sector executive with more than 20 years of experience in lithium, potash, and uranium development. His previous companies include Millennial Lithium, Allana Potash, Potash One, and Energy Metals Corp., collectively acquired for more than $2 billion.

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