BHP Billiton , which tried and failed to buy Potash Corp. in a hostile takeover, is adding to its potash holdings in Saskatchewan with the purchase of an exploration permit from Russian company Acorn.
Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.
The 34,000-hectare permit covers an area in the central part of Saskatchewan.
BHP walked away from its nearly $40-billion bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan after Ottawa ruled the takeover would not be a "net benefit" to Canada.
The company has said it plans to continue developing a "significant presence" in the potash industry, evaluation of its Jansen project and other development opportunities in Saskatchewan.