The world's largest fertiliser maker, Potash Corp, has accused hostile suitor BHP Billiton of sowing "seeds of doubt and confusion" about the potash-producer's performance.
In a letter to customers, Stephen Dowdle, Potash Corp's commercial director said the company has learnt that BHP's marketing director Chris Ryder has begun to "cold call" them. "We consider this contact to be inappropriate and highly unethical," he wrote.
"We can only assume that BHP Billiton's purpose is to sow seeds of doubt and confusion about the future of Potash Corp by raising questions about our ability to do business across the nutrient spectrum as well as the future location and makeup of our sales organization," he added.
Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, Canada, had last month rejected Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton's takeover bid of $130 a share as "grossly inadequate". Following this, BHP said it would approach Potash's shareholders directly.
Potash's shares have jumped 27 per cent to about $146 since the offer, suggesting market expectation of a sweetened offer from the mining company.
