Rabat – Morocco’s OCP Africa has renewed the fertilizer group’s commitment to contributing to Africa’s agricultural development.
The group presented its strategy and initiatives seeking to help Africa during times of crisis at the Argus Africa Fertilizer event, which is taking place from February 8-10 in Nairobi, Kenya.
During a panel discussion, Vice-president of sales and marketing of OCP Africa in Morocco, Habiba Mouttaki recalled OCP Group’s recent initiative, which consisted of the delivery of 550,000 tonnes of fertilizer to help the continent mitigate the impact of soaring commodity prices and drought.
The initiative served over four million farmers across the continent.
OCP Africa official emphasized that the initiative reflects the group’s commitment to accelerating its strategy for the development of the distribution network, through several schemes including the “Farmer Houses.”
Mouttaki emphasized that the Farmer Houses project was designed to improve the accessibility of products, services, and agricultural knowledge.
“There was also talk of initiatives targeting the farmer directly, in terms of support, capacity building, training, as well as in connection with markets,” she added.
Mouttaki also recalled the importance of OCP Africa’s agribooster program, which connects farmers to markets through partnerships, as well as farmer hubs and OCP’s school lab. These initiatives served more than 530,000 farmers in Africa.
“These flagship programs of OCP Africa are part of the policy of facilitating access to fertilizers,” she stressed.
Commenting on the current crisis hampering the agriculture sector in Africa, Mouttaki said that this situation offers an opportunity for players in the fertilizer sector to innovate and provide more appropriate solutions.
The Deputy Managing Director of OCP Kenya, Hatim Lahmiym, commented on OCP’s participation in the event, stressing that the symposium is an opportunity to forge links with new partners, strengthen existing partnerships and exchange knowledge and experiences with the various players in the field of fertilizer.
“It is also an opportunity to inquire about new developments in the field,” he added.
The Argus Africa Fertilizer event was launched in Morocco in 2010, serving as a platform to help experts and farmers to exchange views on fertilizer and agricultural development.
On Friday, OCP Africa tweeted that the group’s agronomist in Kenya also highlighted the importance of healthy soils in helping sustainable agriculture growth as well as the group’s commitment to providing farmers with customized fertilizer.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, OCP’s CEO Mostafa Terrab emphasized the group’s commitment to contributing to the continent’s sustainable development.
Terrab also stressed the resources and richness that Africa has to offer.
“We [in Africa] should be totally self-sufficient, and even export,” Terrab said, emphasizing that “big opportunities” exist on the continent.
Read Also: OCP’s Mostafa Terrab: The Big Opportunities Are in Africa
