Madagascar Eyes Moroccan Fertilizers Amid Food Security Crisis

Rabat – As Madagascar is mitigating a severe food crisis that has engulfed several regions across the country, Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina said that his country is seeking an investment from Morocco in the fertilizer sector to help strengthen its agriculture, Reuters reported on Friday.

“We are seeking Moroccan fertilisers as well as investments in the fertilisers’ sector,” Rajoelina told Reuters in an email, expressing his commitment to achieving farming self-sufficiency in his country.

“We need the expertise of all, notably the Moroccan agri-food industry,” the president stressed, adding that setting up a fertilizer manufacturing plant is a “priority” for Madagascar.

The country is currently facing a severe food crisis after experiencing four years of consecutive droughts. According to the World Food Program, this has left families in southern Madagascar “helpless and unable to feed themselves.”

An estimated 1.47 million people in the south of the country “need emergency food and nutrition assistance,” added the UN-affiliated program.

While the effects of drought were heavily felt by the Malagasy people, the situation was exacerbated after the global rise in fertilizer prices, notably due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s fertilizer giant OCP Group, whose revenues have witnessed an unprecedented rise due to the increased demand for fertilizers, has repeatedly expressed its keenness to support farmers across Africa and help improve the continent’s food security.

OCP Group has donated thousands of tonnes of fertilizers to a number of African countries, including Mauritania, Senegal, and Rwanda. In addition, the company recently announced plans to allocate four million tonnes of fertilizers for African farmers in 2023.

“The current geopolitical situation reveals deeper systemic fragilities in global agricultural systems,” OCP Group’s Chairman and CEO Mostafa Terrab said last October, stressing the importance of addressing the current food security challenges. “We are glad to be able to do our part,” he noted.