African food security, Morocco matches words with action

Morocco has offered 2000 tons of fertilizers in aid to Gabonese farmers in a series of similar moves that Rabat promised to take to alleviate the fertilizers crisis on the continent.

The donation was made to Gabonese farmers as part of directives of King Mohammed VI who held talks on February 15 with Gabon’s president Ali Bongo Odimba.

Facilitating the access of African farmers to customized fertilizers at a context of soaring prices and supply chain disruptions is in line with a Moroccan foreign policy in Africa permeated by south-south cooperation and co-development goals.

Demographic growth on the continent is expected to continue to rise leaving many African countries struggling to feed their people. Hence the need to develop agricultural output and cut dependence on soaring imports.

Morocco managed to develop the added value of its phosphates deposits to become a leading manufacturer of phosphates-based fertilizers. Special attention was given to help African countries meet their fertilizers needs.

Morocco’s phosphates and fertilizers maker OCP has opened several plants across Africa to blend customized fertilizers. It is also investing in two large-scale plants in Ethiopia and Nigeria with a combined value of some $4 billion.

OCP pledged to dedicate 4 million tons of phosphates-based fertilizers to the African market in 2023, that is double the quantity it sold on the continent in 2021.

OCP has heavily invested in the development of eco-responsible fertilizer production capacity, reaching 15 MT of finished product by 2023, from a base of 3MT in 2008. This enables OCP to respond to Africa’s urgent needs while also supporting farmers around the world.

Thanks to OCP’s supply of customized fertilizers, Senegal’s millet yield jumped 63% and Nigeria’s corn yield 48%, with similar results in Ghana and elsewhere. OCP’s involvement in Ethiopia has seen wheat, corn, and teff yields increase by up to 37%.

Last year, OCP said it will offer 180,000 tons of customized fertilizers in donations and 370,000 tons at a reduced price to help many African countries secure their soil nutrients needs amid a surge of prices in the international demand.