According to Indian media, which specializes in economic information, Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, will visit the North African country in the near future to reach an agreement to establish a phosphate processing plant in Morocco.
Morocco has obvious advantages in the production of phosphate fertilizers. It has more than 70% of the world's phosphate rock reserves. Phosphorus used for fertilizers is extracted from phosphate rocks. All food crops require phosphorus to grow, making Morocco a gatekeeper to the global food supply chain. Unlike other finite resources such as fossil fuels, there is no substitute for phosphorus. Morocco plans to add 8.2 million tons of phosphate fertilizer production capacity by 2026. The current output is about 12 million tons, which will greatly ease the tight supply in the market.
The visit was an Indian company exploring the possibility of setting up a dedicated DAP (Diammonium Hydrogen Phosphate) and NPK plant in Morocco. The visit will expand Morocco's cooperation with Indian companies in the field of phosphate processing, while strengthening Morocco's position in the Indian phosphate fertilizer market.
"Morocco has abundant reserves of phosphorus, which is an essential element in the production of fertilizers. I plan to visit Morocco on January 13-14 to sign a cooperation agreement with it to ensure food sovereignty," Mandaviya said. Due to the war in Ukraine, India stopped importing DAP from China, leading to an increase in the price of fertilizer raw materials. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has serious implications for global food security, both on the supply side and because fertilizers can be used as economic weapons or tools. "Therefore private and public companies are responsible for the extraction, production and distribution of fertilizers to India as part of the joint venture."
According to data from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers of India, India's fertilizer demand is about 43.5 million tons, and potash fertilizers are completely dependent on imports. In recent years, the import volume has fluctuated between 2.4 million tons and 4.7 million tons, and about 60% of DAP is imported.
Source: AgroPages (World Agrochemical Network)
