OCP Africa is investing in a Joint Venture with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to develop ammonia and DAP Industrial plant worth $1.4 billion.
The Industrial Plant project, which will be sited in Akwa Ibom State, is expected to utilise Nigerian gas and Moroccan phosphate to produce 750,000 metric tons (Mt) of ammonia and one million Mt of phosphate fertiliser yearly.
Country Manager/Deputy Managing Director OCP Africa Nigeria, Caleb Usoh, said for long, farmers had been faced with impediments to obtaining optimal value from their farmlands, ranging from low access to quality inputs, problematic soils, and inadequate training on good agricultural practices; these challenges if not resolved will pose a threat to the nation’s food system.
In addressing the nation’s food security challenges, there is a need to discontinue the use of generic fertiliser blends for all soil and crop types. There is no better time than now to introduce soil and crop specific fertiliser. The adoption of specialty fertiliser to address specific crop nutrition needs is an emerging trend in global agriculture practice due to various soil nutrient compositions.
OCP Africa, a world leader in phosphate and its derivatives, believes that efficient use of specialty fertiliser is one of the best ways to increase farmers’ productivity and ensure food security.
Usoh said with the consumption of NPK fertiliser blends projected to exceed 4.5million MT by 2030, OCP Africa is supporting the projected demand with massive investments in fertiliser production, R&D, distribution channel support, farmer-centric initiatives, among others, to actualise the Nigeria vision of ensuring self-sufficiency in food production.
He said Ogun and Sokoto plants would commence production by fourth quarter of the year while the Kaduna plant which has been completed for $13.4 million commenced production in March , this year and is slated for inauguration by next month.
The plant operates on a Toll Blending partnership arrangement that allows industry players and brand owners to leverage on OCP Africa’s plant capacity and expertise to provide quality fertiliser to their customers. The Kaduna plant engages over 250 persons in various job functions to foster a sustainable agricultural ecosystem.
To provide customized fertiliser in the Nigeria agricultural space, OCP Africa has taken the initiative by pioneering the research and development and production of crop and soil specific blends of fertiliser by establishing ultra-modern fertilizer blending plants in three states across Nigeria (Kaduna, Ogun and Sokoto).
Each of the three ultra-modern blending plants tagged “Centre of Excellence” comprises of a Blending facility capable of composing five macro and five micro-nutrient elements, a Fertilizer and Soil testing laboratory, a Retail outlet for agricultural products and services called the “Farm and Fortune Hub” and a Model Farm. The blending plants have a combined production capacity of 500,000MT per year. In line with the National Fertiliser Quality Control Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020, OCP Africa has deployed a state-of-the-art laboratory within the blending plant facilities to further ensure quality of its products meets nutrient specification.
Source: Nation
