OCP Africa to build $1b fertiliser plants

The OCP Fertilisers Nigeria Limited said it is establishing two industrial fertiliser plants worth $1b this year, to complement government’s effort to boost local production.

Managing Director of the company, Muhamed Hettiti said the new plants would also create jobs and facilitate export opportunities, adding that the company is also planning to build two blending plants in Ogun and Kaduna States that would be delivered in September 2019.

He said: “We are ready to leverage Nigeria’s ammonia production, which was very high and we are co-advertising with the Federal Government to establish a plant to utilise the raw material. We have an objective to balance the trade between Morocco and Nigeria. We do not want only importation into Nigeria. Nigeria is importing DAP (Di-Ammonium Phosphorous) fertiliser from Morocco.

“We want to leverage on the local raw material that is abundant in Nigeria which is ammonia. That is why we are looking for co-advertisement with the Federal Government to establish a big plant worth $1b. The plant will produce ammonia that we can export to Morocco and that is why we are investing that amount to build a DAP plant, but the location has not been finalised.”

The Production and Technical Manager, Mr. Oluwatoba Asana, identifies distribution network, training, timely supply of fertiliser, among others, as some of the challenges, saying world population is increasing, hence, the use of fertiliser could not be ignored.

He said: “If we neglect fertiliser, we will not be able to become food sufficient. A fertiliser is phosphate, ammonia and potassium; all of these ingredients are already in the soil. In America, the rate of fertiliser usage per hectare is between 200kg and 250kg but in Nigeria, we apply only about 8kg per hectare.

“In America also, they produce four to five tonnes of maize per hectare and in Nigeria, we produce less than one tonne of maize per hectare. So, you see the difference. The plants are like humans; they will take what they need and neglect what they do not need.”