CALGARY — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said US President Donald Trump’s proposal to buy potash from Belarus at cheaper rates was never "realistic."On Monday, Trump said his administration was working on a “massive” deal with Russia-aligned Belarus, saying “the pricing would be substantially less than we are currently paying Canada, which is very good news for our farmers and ranchers.”However, the president backtracked on Tuesday, saying the US would continue to purchase Canadian potash, but added, “Belarus would like to sell it for a much lower price.”In an interview on CBC’s Power & Politics, Moe said Saskatchewan had the supply and established infrastructure to serve American farmers..UPDATED: Trump eyes ‘massive’ Belarus potash deal amid Canada trade uncertainty.“[There’s going to be] more potash available in the years ahead. It only makes sense to do business [with the US] not only with potash, I would say, but with many other, products as well that are covered under the current CUSMA deal,” Moe said. He added that he didn’t know why Trump had made the statements and pointed to the sanctions imposed on Belarus over its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.The Trump episode has raised another question for Canada’s largest potash-producing province: how easily could it sell more of its product elsewhere if its relationship with the US continues to deteriorate?Canada is the leading exporter of potash, shipping approximately 22.9 million tonnes in 2024 — accounting for roughly 39% of global exports.Roughly 85% of U.S. potash imports come from Canada.Canpotex — which markets Saskatchewan potash abroad — says it ships more than 15 million tonnes per year through terminals in Vancouver, Portland, Oregon, and Saint John, New Brunswick.The majority of potash travels by rail from Saskatchewan to the BC coast, an approximately 2,000-kilometre journey..Moe says Saskatchewan could build two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors.However, Canpotex’s network has shown itself to be vulnerable in the past. In a 2025 report, the organization said a labour dispute at the Port of Vancouver disrupted potash exports in 2023, and that Russia subsequently overtook Canada as the leading supplier of potash in some Asian markets.In February, Ottawa announced it was studying whether the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba could play a larger role in moving Prairie goods such as potash to international markets, while a separate feasibility study is examining what it would take to support year-round port operations.Moe said his government is currently working with Ottawa to advance trade opportunities, but he did not identify a particular rail or port project or say how much additional potash Saskatchewan could move to buyers outside the US.“We do have an opportunity to become much more resilient, economically as a nation,” he said.“It is cause for us as Canadians to constantly be looking in the mirror at how are we accessing, our ally nations around the world, providing what we provide, whether it's energy security, food security. That's why we've been trying to do our level best to work across party lines with the federal government to advance some of the trade agreements and utilizing some of the relationships that we have built from a provincial perspective in countries around the world." "A win for Canada, I believe, would be some trade certainty with our largest trading partner.”
