Mosaic To Close Plant City Phosphate Manufacturing Plant

PLANT CITY, FL -- The Mosaic Co. announced this week that it will close its idled Plant City phosphate manufacturing facility at 10609 Paul Buchman Highway.

The small team of Mosaic employees currently responsible for care and maintenance activities will remain on site to manage the closure and compliance responsibilities over the next several years.

Opened in 1975, the Plant City plant produced approximately 1.3 million tons of finished phosphates in 2017, its last year of operation. The plant was closed in late 2017 in an attempt to cut costs. The Plant City plant was one of the higher-cost phosphate facilities in Mosaic’s Florida operations.

“Our decision to close the Plant City phosphate facility reaffirms our commitment to low-cost operation,” said Mosaic President and CEO Joc O’Rourke. “We will continue to meet global demand for high-quality phosphate fertilizers with production from our low-cost facilities in Florida, Louisiana, Brazil and Peru, and through our joint venture in Saudi Arabia.”

During the second quarter, Mosaic expects to incur up to $390 million for the permanent closure of the facility, including asset write-offs.

Mosaic will seek to mitigate a portion of closure costs incorporating new water management procedures and re-purposing part of the facility for production.