Turkmenistan, Belarus launch major potash fertilizer plant

Leaders of ex-Soviet nations Turkmenistan and Belarus have attended the launch of a huge potash fertiliser plant worth more than USD 1 billion.
The plant in Garlyk, built near huge potash deposits, is capable of producing 1.4 million tons of the fertiliser. It is set to export its products to China and India among other countries.
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said Friday the new plant will help feed high domestic and export demand for the fertiliser.
The plant was built by Belarus, one of the world's leading producers of potash. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko hailed it as the biggest such plant in the region.

Turkmenistan, which holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves, has sought to diversify its economy to reduce its dependence on gas.