Phosphates are essential to modern life. They are the core of modern fertilizers. And just as we work with farmers improve their yields, so we want to capture more value locally by launching an ultra-modern fertilizer manufacturing plant.

The ongoing capacity building in our operations in Phosboucraa recently saw the MAD 1 billion investment into the Industrial Development Program. This equipped us with a new stocking area with a total capacity of 110,000 tons of raw phosphate, while the beneficiation plant already has the capacity to store 150,000 tons of washed phosphate.

An additional investment of MAD 1.9 billion has equipped Laayoune with a beneficiation plant housing two phosphate washing lines with a unit capacity of 400 tons/hour, and four flotation lines with a unit capacity of 100 tons/hour.

Our new plant is further enhanced by the new wharf at Laayoune, the longest in the world, with a bridge extending 3.2km for loading phosphate on to ships. In the first phase, the wharf will have a capacity of 8 million tons per year with two quays. By the second phase, the wharf will grow to three quays and a capacity totaling a 11 million tons per year.

Our MAD 20.2 Billion industrial program will allow us to add even more value to the phosphate we mine, ensuring that the products meet the highest standards at every step in the chain. In 2022, we will open a fertilizer complex capable of manufacturing 1 million tons of fertilizer per year, with a focus on exports across Africa.

Fertilizers are essential for delivering the agricultural yield growth necessary to feed the world’s growing population. In 2019, mineral fertilizers helped to grow 50% of global food production.

By processing phosphate rock, we aim to develop and manufacture customized fertilizers that will increase agricultural yields by enhancing soils, in total compliance with OCP Group’s core value of sustainable and ethical development.

Our industrial capacity building not only allows us to increase the lifespan of Phosboucraa’s reserves, but maintains control of the entire fertilizer value chain. It also ensures that the highest quality standards are delivered in a sustainable manner.

When OCP purchased the remaining 35% of Phosboucraa in 2002, it committed to reinvest all the profits from the Southern Regions back into the Southern Regions. Through its access to global capital markets, we will be able to not only improve our phosphate exports, but manufacture phosphate-based products here. This is a “win- win” as it will generate greater revenues, creating more jobs for local people and earning more profits that Phosboucraa can reinvest here.

When complete, the new plant will produce Phosphoric Acid and Phosphate based fertilizers (NPK, DAP, and MAP). Fully integrated, the facility will run the entire process from receiving raw rock to exporting finished products via the wharf, both packed and in bulk.

This project will be transformative for the region. In addition to the Phosphate Fertilizer Complex itself, a plant of this scale has major multiplier effects for the local economy. It directly creates local jobs as well as the secondary jobs generated as a result of the plant in the service industry.

These benefits will be amplified by our commitment to invest 100% of our profits in the region through the Phosboucraa Foundation. The Foundation will use the additional funds to include even more people share in the benefits of their region’s rich resources, through supporting projects to support entrepreneurship and training to support the region of tomorrow.