Morocco Donates 15,000 Tons of Fertilizer to Rwanda Amid Global Price Surge

15,000 tons of diammonium phosphate (DAP). This is the donation that the OCP group has made to Rwanda. "This contribution is important especially at a time when fertilizer costs are high, mainly due to two factors; the war between Russia and Ukraine and the rise in transportation costs related to the Covid-19 pandemic," said Gerardine Mukeshimana, Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, during a visit to the construction site of the fertilizer blending plant in the Bugesera district.

The official explained that part of the donation (10,000 tons) will be used as a strategic fertilizer reserve. "This means that we have a stock of fertilizers and whenever there is a need, we can be able to inject it into the farming community," she said. The second part (5,000 tons) will serve as a free starting stock for the fertilizer blending plant to support the launch of its production of adapted fertilizers.

The OCP Group has also committed to providing Rwanda with an additional 17,000 tons of DAP fertilizers at a reduced price. "We believe that smallholder farmers are an integral part of the agricultural sector in Rwanda. With the ripple effects of the Ukraine war on fertilizer prices and the effects of the drought in East Africa, the situation is likely to be unbearable for small farmers and disastrous for food security," said Mohamed Anouar Jamali, CEO of OCP Africa.