India trade links could support hundreds of Whitby jobs, says Mayor
A recent trade mission to India could help secure future customers for fertiliser produced at the giant Woodsmith Mine near Whitby, according to York and North Yorkshire’s mayor.
The trade mission to Hyderabad and Mumbai by Northern political leaders, businesses, universities and industry representatives sough to strengthen trade links following the new UK-India free trade agreement.
David Skaith, the elected Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said the visit could help the sale of fertiliser created on the North Yorkshire coast and help to boost crop yields globally.
Mr Skaith highlighted the Woodsmith Project, which is being developed by Anglo American and is expected to produce the polyhalite fertiliser product POLY4 for export to global markets.
The mine is located around 4km south of Whitby and currently employs around 800 people, with 76 per cent of the workforce drawn from the local area.
The trade mission included discussions aimed at developing business and agricultural links with India, one of the world’s largest farming markets and the sixth biggest economy.
Mr Skaith said: “Our county’s global potential is clear to everyone who lives here. On the coast we have the Woodsmith mine near Whitby, which already employs nearly 800 local people.
“Woodsmith will bring a natural mineral fertiliser not just to our own UK farmers, but will also export globally, including to India, one of the largest agricultural markets in the world.
“Deepening our relationships with businesses and governments in India is one way of securing long-term demand for what we will produce right here on the Yorkshire coast.”
Representatives from the Woodsmith project used the trade visit to strengthen relationships with government, industry and research organisations while exploring how POLY4 could support agricultural production in India, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority said.
It added that the Woodsmith team believed the visit had provided a valuable opportunity to better understand India’s agricultural priorities and explore how greater diversity of fertiliser supply could support more productive and sustainable farming.
The trade mission was organised as part of a wider effort by northern leaders to secure a share of the economic opportunities expected to flow from the UK-India trade agreement.
Supporters argue that stronger export markets for products such as POLY4 could ultimately help support long-term employment and investment linked to one of the largest construction and mining projects currently under way on the Yorkshire coast.
However, the wider economic benefits remain dependent on the project reaching production and successfully securing customers in international markets.
Earlier this year, Anglo American announced an investment agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation aimed at accelerating commercial development of the project and expanding demand for POLY4 in key global markets, including India.