巴西大部分肥料都是进口的。这给国家的支付平衡增加了很重的负担。由于缺少大的磷灰岩矿床,才促使专家门对新技术进行了研究。这种新技术适合于前十年内所知道的仅有的矿石类型:矿石来源于碱性矿体。同时,国家所属的矿产资源勘察公司(CPRM)开始了一项大的地质勘察计划,在这十年内成功地发现了帕托西(Patos)沉积矿床。 Most of Brazil's fertilizer is imported. This adds a heavy burden to the country's balance of payments. The lack of a large apatite deposit prompted experts to study new technologies. This new technology is suitable for the only type of ore known in the last decade: Ores are derived from alkaline orebodies. At the same time, the country-owned Mineral Resources Survey Company (CPRM) embarked on a major geological survey program to successfully discover the Patos sedimentary deposit within ten years.