The first shipment landed about a week ago at Lyttelton Port and Port Otago with 5000tonnes of phosphate rock from the newly-commissioned Ardmore Mine in Queensland, Australia.
Supply chain general manager Mike Whitt said the Ardmore phosphate rock had the potential to become part of its permanent offering and help to firm up local supply for farmers and growers.
"If the last few years have proven anything, it’s the value of having more options. We’re operating in an ongoing environment of instability when it comes to managing supply chain risks and increasing costs.
"It’s a culmination of familiar factors, including the conflict in Ukraine, political tensions in other parts of the world, and we’re seeing that Covid-19 has a very long tail."
The lasting effects of the pandemic reached beyond simple shipping delays, with fewer commodity exports as countries such as China intensified their focus on internal food security.
The trial shipment will undergo quality tests once it reaches the co-op’s Christchurch and Dunedin manufacturing sites.
The Ardmore export operation is owned by the Centrex Ltd subsidiary, Agriflex Pty Ltd.
Centrex chief executive Robert Mencel said the company had confidence in the quality of its phosphate rock and ability to reduce supply risks in New Zealand.
Ravensdown said it would continue to investigate other phosphate rock sources closer to New Zealand.
