Is 2011 going to bring out more aussie interest in potash &...

Is 2011 going to bring out more aussie interest in potash & phosphate companies ?
I remember 2-3 yrs ago that Joe Gutnick's Legend International had a junior stakeholder about 10%, the Indian Fertilizer Farmer's Co-op and a mate from near Mt Isa recently told me that he'd heard that locals with (potenial) phosphate were trying to sell to or do a deal with Legend.
This from last month

Legend to seek $1b for Aussie phosphate project - December 4, 2010

Legend International Holdings, backed by Soros Fund Management LLC, will next week approach buyers for part of its Australian phosphate project that's worth as much as $1 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

The Melbourne-based company will ask for preliminary bids in early January, said the person who declined to be identified because the details are private. Legend International hired Nomura Holdings to advise on strategic transactions for the deposits in the Georgina Basin in Queensland, according to a Dec. 2 statement.

"We're looking for a strategic partner who has expertise in phosphate fertilizers and also has the financial muscle to assist us in building an $US800 million plant," Chief Executive Officer Joseph Gutnick said in an interview, without giving a timeframe. "It's very hard to put a value until we get into production or we export phosphate rocks. I wouldn't like to guess a figure at this stage."

The company is planning to build a plant that will start output in 2013 at an annual rate of 1.8 million metric tons of nutrient fertilizers a year, it said in the statement. Demand for fertilizers is rising as shrinking arable land and rising world food demand spurs consumption and takeovers.

Legend International's phosphate deposits may be valued at between $US500 million to $US1 billion, the person said. The company owns total mineral deposits of 1.2 billion tons near the city of Mount Isa, according to its website.

Asian buyers

The company will approach potential partners in China, Korea, Japan, India and Southeast Asia, Gutnick said. He hasn't decided whether to sell a majority or minority stake as that will depend on the partner who may choose to take out a loan or invest in the project, Gutnick said.

Anne Lui, a Hong Kong spokeswoman at Nomura, declined to comment.

World food prices climbed for a fifth month in November, rising to the highest level in more than two years, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO's index of 55 food commodities jumped to 205.4 points, the highest level since July 2008, the Rome-based agency said in a monthly report on Dec. 1.

Soros Fund Management LLC owns 10.4 per cent of the company, Atticus Capital LP, a New York-based hedge fund, owns 13.5 per cent, according to Legend's website.
Legend's phosphate and mining business consists of three phosphate deposits in Mount Isa in the Georgina Basin. The company proposes developing the project in two stages, including a phosphate fertilizer complex and a beneficiation plant that will be used to upgrade phosphate ores mined, the statement said.

"The outlook for global phosphate demand and prices is very attractive on the back of the growth in global food demand, increasing importance of food security and emergence of phosphate fertilizer as a key ingredient in enhancing food supply," said Sheryar Chishty, global head of industrials investment banking at Nomura, in the statement.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/legend-to-seek-1b-for-aussie-phosphate-project-20101204-18kf9.html

I don't think Gutnick has ever really considered a ASX listing but another neighbour of Legend has. Cape Lambert's (asx:CFE) Austalis Exploration ltd has been doing work on their tenements in 2010 for a IPO this year.
See CFE's Sept Q report or their latest one due out in next few days time for update on Australis.

I hold shares in CFE and also Rum Jungle Resources RUM which just recently took up 100% of Ammaroo phosphate project north of Alice Springs ( very good drill results ) and has 50% JV with RWD in potash (salt lakes) in SW of the NT.

as well as BHP & RWD , Orocobre ORE and Activex AIV also have JORC reported potash.
ELM , GMM , RDS , STB & TRH also have some potash interest.

one aussie on my watchlist is Oklo Uranium OKU for their Mali phosphate deposit.
List of other aussie phosphate explorers/near producers at

http://www.australian-phosphate.com/ASX-Phosphate-Exploration.html

Any others ?