In both northern and southern hemispheres, fertilizers are sold primarily for spring and fall application. Potash, nitrogen and phosphate are also used for animal feed and industrial products. Feed and industrial sales are made primarily by contract and are more evenly distributed throughout the year than fertilizer sales.

PotashCorp's net sales* were $3.38 billion in 2006, a decrease of $99 million from 2005 but up 75 percent since 2002. The growth is the result of increased volumes of potash and phosphate products and higher prices for potash, nitrogen and phosphate products.

*based on G3 framework

In 2006, nitrogen products accounted for the largest share of net sales (35.4 percent), followed by phosphate (33.3 percent) and potash (31.3 percent). However, potash continues to generate the bulk of gross margin. Over the past five years, it represented on average 30 percent of net sales and produced over 60 percent of gross margin.