Rabat – Peru’s government is negotiating with the Moroccan embassy to obtain a donation of 150,000 tonnes of fertilizer, according to reports from Peruvian media.
“The minister has coordinated with the embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco to see this matter resolved and soon there will be a joint meeting with the Agrarian Commission and the Minister of Foreign Affairs,” Deputy Minister of Family Agriculture Development and Agrarian Infrastructure and Irrigation Christian Barrantes Bravo said.
Speaking to the Peruvian Congress, Bravo said that the fertilizer issue is a priority for the ministry.
The attempt to obtain fertilizer from Morocco comes after the country’s government failed to obtain fertilizer following four purchase attempts that did not go through.
Before the end of 2022, Peru’s government had announced the cancellation of another attempt to obtain fertilizer, citing the presence of “more efficient mechanisms” to meet the demand among farmers.
Morocco had canceled fertilizer shipments to the Latin American country in October after then-President Pedro Castillo re-established relations with the separatist Polisario Front.
The move was a controversial one in Peru, leading to Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Rodriguez Mackay’s resignation over a disagreement with the president over the decision.
Peruvian Congressman Jose Cueto also voiced his disagreement with the decision, saying in an interview: “Not even the UN endorses them and we are, unfortunately, endorsing the foreign policy with this phantom Republic, which has absolutely no benefit for our country.”
The congressman had also said that Morocco and Peru had a “goodwill agreement” to support the Latin American country after its “failed purchases of fertilizers.”
In December, Castillo was impeached and detained for “rebellion” after he attempted to dissolve the country’s congress. Dina Boluarte was appointed as his successor, and will be in charge until the end of his term in 2026.
