In the hours before BHP boss Mike Henry delivered an impressively wrinkle-free set of production numbers – his first since officially becoming chief executive on January 1 – the mining giant’s dreams of becoming a major force in potash received some handy validation.

On Monday night in London, British potash miner Sirius Minerals announced it had agreed to sell itself to Anglo American for $766 million, in a deal that will hand Anglo an incomplete potash mine project in North York.