Yara Seeks CF Merger for $20 Billion in Fertilizer Sales

Yara International ASA is in merger talks with CF Industries Holdings Inc. that would enable it to expand in North America and create the world’s largest fertilizer supplier with about $20 billion in sales.

Discussions are at an “early stage” with no guarantee of a transaction, Oslo-based Yara said today in a statement. Yara rose as much as 10 percent in Norway trading, increasing the company’s market value to about $14.1 billion. CF, which climbed as much as 7.6 percent, has a market capitalization of about $13.4 billion.