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Brazil prosecutors again look for to suspend Canadian potash mine in the Amazon

Brazilian federal district attorneys have actually submitted a claim to suspend a license provided to a. Canadian company to install what would be Latin America's largest. fertilizer mine in the Amazon jungle, their workplace said.

The planned mine by Brazil Potash Corp overlaps with. ancestral lands of the Mura Native people whose territory is. in the procedure of separation, the district attorneys stated in a. statement provided on Tuesday. They added the licensing should be a. federal concern to be decided by Brazil's environmental protection. agency Ibama and not the state environmental body Ipaam.

The prosecutors' workplace in Manaus said that Mura leaders had. gone through false pledges and risks. It included that the. mine presented a severe environmental threat that would also. impact the entire area's population, particularly those near the. river, which effect studies had not been performed. correctly.

Brazil Potash preserves that the Mura land has not been. formally acknowledged as a secured booking by the. Brazilian federal government and therefore can be accredited by the state. of Amazonas whose governor completely backs the $2.6 billion task.

The prosecutors' office has actually disputed the mine because 2016 and. the task was halted by a federal judge in 2023, a choice. that was subsequently reversed by a greater appeals court.

Brazil Potash President Matt Simpson said the business. has actually asked for 10 days to provide a statement showing the. legal unfeasibility of the prosecutors' demand.

The appeals court in Brasilia that overruled the Manaus. judge's choice had developed the state's proficiency to. conduct ecological licensing and authorized the continuation. of the licensing procedure, Simpson stated in writing to .

The mine could be fundamental for Brazilian agriculture. as it will reduce Brazil's 90% reliance on imported potash,. however it has been held up by opposition from the Mura individuals who. state they have not been sought advice from about usage of their ancestral. lands.

Guv Wilson Lima, who states the mine will bring his state. investment and advancement, announced last month that the. installation license had actually been granted for the mine to be constructed. in Autazes, 75 miles (120 km) southeast of state capital Manaus.

Brazil Potash stated it will start this year on the shafts. that will extract the potash and return salt to the bottom of. the mine. The task will take 3 years to build.

The mine will deliver potash to Brazilian farm states by. river barges at less than even the transport expenses of. manufacturers in Russia, Belarus and Canada, who need to deliver throughout. the world, according to Simpson.

Brazil Potash is owned by CD Capital with a 34% stake,. Sentient with 23% of shares, and Stan Bharti's Forbes &&. Manhattan Group, a Toronto-based merchant bank that started the. project, which now holds 14%, in addition to other shareholders.

(source: Reuters)