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Jordan Potash
Potash was the other major component of Jordan's mining sector.
A US$480 million potash extraction facility at Al Aghwar al
Janubiyah (also known as Ghor as Safi) on the Dead Sea, which was
operated by the Arab Potash Company, produced 1.2 million tons of
potash in 1987 and yielded earnings of almost US$100 million. The
facility processed the potash into potassium chloride. Future plans
included the production of other industrial chemicals such as
potassium sulphate, bromine, magnesium oxide, and soda ash. As in
the case of phosphates, India was a major customer, buying almost
33 percent of output. Jordan was the world's lowest cost producer,
in part because it used solar evaporation. There was lingering
concern that possible Israeli construction of a Mediterranean-Dead
Sea canal would dilute the Dead Sea, making extraction far more
expensive.
Data as of December 1989
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