A MINING firm has signed an understanding agreement with Tanzania.

Sirius Minerals says it has agreed a deal with the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture to work on research and development on polyhalite.

The company wants to extract millions of tonnes of the fertiliser mineral from under the North York Moors National Park, near Whitby.

Bosses say the £1.5m mine plans could create about 1,000 jobs.

Sirius already has agreements to send millions of tonnes of polyhalite to China, Latin America, the US and Africa.

It is expected to submit a planning application to the North York Moors National Park Authority and applications for transport operations to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority this month.

The project stalled last year when plans were deferred to address environmental concerns.

Chris Fraser, Sirius Minerals’ managing director and chief executive, said: “Agriculture plays a major role in the economy of Tanzania and indeed much of Africa.

“The large scale and low cost of polyhalite could significantly improve accessibility to key nutrients across the continent.

“This could help to encourage better fertilisation, leading to better productivity for farmers, and has the potential to positively impact millions of lives in Africa.”

Sirius’ deals include an agreement with Sinoagri, one of China's largest fertiliser distributors, to send 500,000 tonnes of polyhalite every year in a ten-year partnership, and an understanding with Chinese firm Yunnan TCT Yong-Zhe to supply one million tonnes of polyhalite a year from 2017.