Mostafa Terrab, OCP Group Chairman & CEO, declared that OCP Group will be reserving over 4 million tonnes of fertilizers for African farmers in 2023, during the World Bank Annual Meetings, in a statement received Wednesday by MAP.
According to MAP, the 4 million tonnes are twice as much as OCP’s supply to the continent in 2021 and account for more than a quarter of OCP’s anticipated total output.
With this allocation, the right fertilizers will be made available to the entire continent, boosting yields for 44 million farmers in 35 countries, including Morocco, where the firm is headquartered.
OCP has made significant investments in the growth of environmentally responsible fertilizer production capacity, going from a base of 3 MT in 2008 to 15 MT of finished products by 2023.
“The current geopolitical situation reveals deeper systemic fragilities in global agricultural systems. We have to address the challenges facing African farmers, from infrastructure to knowledge to market access to financing,” Terrab said.
He went on to add that “we are glad to be able to do our part and we are thankful for the excellent dialogue and collaboration with the World Bank, IFC, USAID, as well as other multilateral and development agencies involved in this effort, given their demonstrated leadership and long-term commitment to African development.”
As an emergency response to the global food security crisis and to improve immediate access to fertilizers across Africa, OCP offered African countries 180,000 tons of soil nutrients in assistance, and 370,000 tons at a reduced price, representing 16% of African demand this year and 25% of OCP Group’s sales on the continent, according to the African Development Bank.
This commitment is much needed seeing as the average application of fertilizer per hectare of cultivated land in Sub-Saharan Africa is 17kg of fertilizer nutrients, lagging far behind the global average of 135 kg, according to the African Bank of Development.