A growth business

摘要

For thousands of years farmers would try to ensure a decent harvest with exhortations to various deities. The weather may still be in the lap of the gods but the fecundity of the soil can now be improved by more down-to-earth means. The run-up in the price of fertiliser, which reached a peak along with most agricultural commodities in 2008, gave a taste of the money to be made by feeding the world. A recent flurry of takeovers suggests that fertiliser companies see the subsequent drop in prices as a buying opportunity before the next ascent begins.