Morocco’s OCP, China’s Hubei Forbon to Develop Eco-friendly Fertilizers

Morocco’s Phosphate group, OCP, and Chinese Hubei Forbon, which specializes in fertilizer additives, have signed a comprehensive partnership agreement under which they will jointly develop a new generation of eco-friendly fertilizers.

Under the partnership, the two companies will work together develop a new generation of high added-value fertilizers such as biostimulants, sulfur fertilizers, fertilizers with micronutrients and water-soluble fertilizers. They will also work to promote smart farming, the two groups said in a joint statement Monday.

Smart farming, using new technologies, allows optimal fertilizers management with the use of the right source of nutrients, at the right dosage, at the right time and in the right place. It also ensures better water management and significantly reduces the environmental impact.

The two partners are also discussing the creation of a Joint R & D Center in China, the statement said. This joint center will be dedicated to innovation and will benefit from an academic, industrial and scientific diversity ecosystem. “He will accompany the OCP Group in its strategy of developing tailor-made and integrated solutions for smart farming,” the Chinese group said in the statement.

For the OCP Group, the alliance with Forbon demonstrates its desire to strengthen its collaboration with leading international manufacturers and represents an excellent opportunity to access a world-class innovation ecosystem and to build up in China a network of experts in the particularly dynamic sector of agriculture and fertilizers.

“As part of our Open Innovation momentum, we rely on an ecosystem of innovation by sourcing the best leaders in the sectors we are interested in to establish co-development partnerships,” says Iliass El Fali, Vice President of Industrial Operations within the OCP Group. This partnership will allow both groups to combine their expertise and know-how to develop a new generation of high value-added fertilizers and improve fertilizer offer, he said.

One of the objectives is to develop innovative solutions that meet the needs of the market and farmers by offering tailor-made solutions and fertilizer formulations that are as efficient as they are environmentally friendly. OCP’s efforts to develop precision agronomy are a continuation of its policy oriented towards the interest of the farmer to improve the quality and yield of his crops and therefore his income.

The OCP group opened an office in Beijing in July 2016 to boost access to Asian markets.

Hubei Forbon, which engages in the fertilizer production chain, produces among others anti-caking agents, coating agents, phosphate additives, phosphate ore anti-flotation collector, energy saving auxiliaries, granulation improver, slow release material for fertilizer, calcium and calcium activating loose agent, corrosion inhibitors, and fertilizers such as granular potassium chloride and granular ammonium chloride.