Fertilizer Plants in Morocco: Beyond Phosphate Rock
We will cover why Morocco’s position in the fertilizer industry looks nothing like the other markets in this series and where that still creates real equipment demand.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
An agricultural base built around cereals and export crops
In a normal year, Morocco produces around two-thirds of the grain — mainly wheat, barley and corn — needed to meet domestic demand, grown largely in the rainfed northwest. Citrus fruit and olives are major export crops, much of it destined for European markets, alongside a developing wine industry and expanding cotton, sugarcane and sunflower production. Agriculture accounts for roughly 12–15% of GDP and employs close to a quarter to a third of the workforce, though output is volatile: drought occurs in Morocco on average about once every three years, and it remains the main constraint on the sector’s growth.
Not an importer, one of the world's largest exporters
Unlike the other countries in this series, Morocco isn’t trying to build fertilizer capacity to reduce import dependence. It already controls an estimated 70–75% of the world’s phosphate rock reserves and ranks among the top five global fertilizer exporters, almost entirely through state-owned OCP Group. OCP has committed roughly $13B to a green-energy-powered expansion programme running through 2028, aimed at lifting production toward 9 million tonnes annually.
What’s more directly relevant to this series is OCP’s growing focus on custom blends for other African markets, rather than only bulk export to Europe and Asia. The company has developed NPS and NPS+ formulations calibrated specifically for wheat, corn and teff production in Ethiopia, reportedly contributing to yield increases of up to 37% in field trials, and is testing separate blends for cassava, vegetables and soybean production in Ghana. In July 2025, OCP’s fertilizer products also achieved the EU’s low-cadmium certification (under 20 mg of cadmium per kg of P₂O₅), a quality threshold that’s becoming a de facto requirement for phosphate fertilizer sold into European markets.
| Morocco's own operations | Where this creates equipment demand elsewhere | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary phosphate processing | OCP-scale beneficiation and phosphoric acid production — a different order of magnitude and process to granulation-equipment scale | Limited direct relevance; this is bulk chemical processing, not the granulation/drying step |
| Custom NPS/NPS+ blending for other African crops | Formulated by OCP, but the blending, granulating and drying of these crop-specific formulations still has to happen somewhere in the supply chain | This is the step where rotary drum granulation and drying equipment is directly relevant — whether at OCP's own blending sites or at downstream operations in the countries receiving these formulations |
Where this connects to equipment choices
It would be a stretch to say Ceylan’s granulation and drying equipment is directly relevant to OCP’s core phosphate rock and acid operations, that’s a different scale and a different part of the process entirely. Where it is relevant is downstream: as OCP and similar producers push more crop-specific, blended formulations into markets like Ethiopia, Ghana and elsewhere on the continent, the blending and granulation step for those custom formulations — wherever it happens in the supply chain — depends on the same rotary drum granulation, drying and screening equipment covered elsewhere on this site. Morocco’s phosphate supply is arguably the raw material that makes several of the other buildouts in this series possible.
OCP Group: How Morocco Turned Phosphate Reserves Into Africa's Fertilizer Supply Chain
The reserve base
Morocco holds about 50 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, roughly 70% of the world’s total, according to the US Geological Survey. It is the world’s leading exporter of phosphate rock and the second-largest producer after China. China mined about 90 million tonnes in 2023 and Morocco about 35 million, so Morocco’s reserves leave far more room to grow output. All of this is run by OCP Group, the state-owned company that mines phosphate rock and makes phosphoric acid and phosphate-based fertilizers. In 2024, OCP’s turnover was more than $9 billion, and it employs over 17,000 people.
The $13 billion green investment programme (2023–2027)
OCP presented the programme to King Mohammed VI in late 2022. Its main targets are:
- raising fertilizer capacity from 12 million to 20 million tonnes by 2027
- a new mine at Meskala, in the Essaouira region
- a new fertilizer complex at Mzinda
- running all industrial facilities on green energy by 2027, from wind, solar, hydroelectric and co-generation sources
- producing 1 million tonnes of green ammonia by 2027 and 3 million by 2032
- 5 GW of clean energy by 2027 and at least 13 GW by 2032
- full carbon neutrality by 2040
Why green ammonia matters
The green ammonia target is strategically important. OCP is the world’s largest importer of ammonia. Making its own from renewable power would let it end that dependence and move into green fertilizers.
Progress so far
By mid-2026, OCP’s plant nutrition capacity had grown from about 15 million tonnes in 2025, with a target of around 20 million tonnes by 2027. The centrepiece of the green ammonia push is a 1-million-tonne complex at Tarfaya.
Spending is accelerating. Government figures put OCP’s investment for 2025–2027 at more than $14 billion: about $4.54 billion in 2025, $5.25 billion in 2026 and $4.25 billion in 2027.
To fund it, OCP has raised money from several sources:
- €350 million from France’s AFD, tied to clean energy, water and green ammonia targets
- €365 million backed by Italy’s export credit agency SACE
- $1.5 billion from its first international hybrid bond in April 2026
- up to 5 billion dirhams (about $541 million) from a domestic bond in June 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of the world's phosphate does Morocco have?
Morocco holds about 50 billion tonnes of phosphate rock reserves, roughly 70% of the world’s total, according to the US Geological Survey. It is the world’s leading exporter of phosphate rock and the second-largest producer after China.
What is OCP Group?
OCP Group is Morocco’s state-owned phosphate company. It mines phosphate rock and produces phosphoric acid and phosphate-based fertilizers. In 2024 its turnover was more than $9 billion, and it employs over 17,000 people.
What is OCP's $13 billion green investment programme?
It is OCP’s 2023–2027 investment plan, presented to King Mohammed VI in late 2022. It aims to raise fertilizer capacity from 12 million to 20 million tonnes a year by 2027. It also aims to run all of OCP’s industrial sites on clean energy and to reach full carbon neutrality by 2040.
Why is OCP investing in green ammonia?
Ammonia is a key input for phosphate fertilizers such as DAP and MAP, and OCP is one of the world’s largest ammonia importers. Producing green ammonia from renewable power would reduce that dependence and lower the carbon footprint of its fertilizers. OCP targets 1 million tonnes of green ammonia by 2027 and 3 million tonnes by 2032.
How much clean energy will OCP use?
OCP aims to run all its industrial facilities on green energy by 2027, from wind, solar, hydroelectric and co-generation sources. It targets 5 GW of clean energy capacity by 2027 and at least 13 GW by 2032.
How is OCP funding its expansion?
OCP’s planned investment for 2025–2027 is more than $14 billion. Funding sources include:
- €350 million from France’s development agency AFD
- €365 million backed by Italy’s export credit agency SACE
- a $1.5 billion international hybrid bond in April 2026
- a domestic bond of up to 5 billion dirhams (about $541 million) in June 2026