CF Industries, OCI In Deal Talks

In what could result in a large transatlantic fertilizer merger, Amsterdam-based OCI and CF Industries, of Deerfield, Ill., have disclosed they are in negotiations for possible “combinations or transactions.” Neither company is commenting further, and both are stressing that the discussions may not yield deals. CF Industries calls itself the largest fertilizer maker in North America. It was in merger talks with Norway’s Yara last year. Those discussions did not result in a deal. However, it did ink an agreement with Yara earlier this month to buy Yara’s stake in its U.K. GrowHow fertilizer joint venture. OCI is in the process of separating from its former parent, Egyptian conglomerate Orascom Construction Industries. OCI has ammonia and downstream urea and urea ammonium nitrate production at plants in Algeria, Egypt, the Netherlands, and the U.S. OCI also makes methanol. However, CF’s release about the merger discussions notes that the combination would involve only “certain of OCI’s businesses,” implying the methanol business could be left out of possible transactions.