Is Morocco’s OCP mulling a new plant in Niger?

A delegation of Morocco’s phosphates and fertilizers producer OCP met officials in Niamey where they discussed possibilities for a fertilizers plant in the Sub-Saharan country, Niger’s state news agency reported.

The meeting was part of Niger’s endeavors to seek partnerships to develop its agricultural sector, especially at a delicate international context marked by the disruption of global supply chains due to geopolitical tensions in the Black sea region, the agency said.

Niger, a landlocked country, has difficulties accessing fertilizers, leaving it as one of the least nations in terms of the use of soil nutrients.

OCP is already operating fertilizer blending units of customized fertilizers across the continent and plans large-scale ammonia and fertilizers plant in Nigeria as well as a similar plant in Ethiopia.

Recently, Moroccan media said OCP was discussing with Brazil the setting up of a fertilizers plant there.

In another development, OCP Group said it has received the government’s approval to set up a joint company in Hong Kong, in a move to introduce new fertilizer products to the Chinese market.

OCP’s new project aims to provide a new formulation of fertilizers and digital solutions that will meet the needs of farmers as well as contribute to improving yields in the Asian country.

This project is part of the research agreement signed between the office and the Chinese company in September 2018, with the goal of expanding the parties’ commitment to developing organic fertilizers in order to achieve sustainable agriculture.

OCP Group was recently greenlighted to set up a joint venture in Spain, for the production and marketing of organic fertilizers, and promotion of R&D in this vital field.

OCP is poised to play a key market balancing act as Russia cuts its exports of food nutrients pushing prices higher and raising concerns about the prospects of global food security.