A donation from Morocco of 25,000 tonnes of phosphate products for the benefit of small Senegalese farmers was handed over to Diamniadio on Thursday, October 20 by OCP Group at the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment and Food Sovereignty.
This donation, which intervenes on high royal instructions aims to support Senegal’s food sovereignty policy and to fight against food insecurity, is composed of 10,000 tons of Dap (Diammonium Phosphate) and 5,000 tons of Tsp (Triple Super Phosphate) and 10,000 tons of fertilizer which will be sold at reduced prices, intended for small Senegalese producers.
The donation ceremony took place in the presence of the Moroccan Ambassador to Senegal, Hassan Naciri, the Senegalese Minister of Agriculture, Rural Equipment and Food Sovereignty, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye and Mohamed Benzekri, Director of the OCP subsidiary in West Africa, as well as central directors at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment and Food Sovereignty of Senegal.
Speaking on this occasion, the Ambassador of Morocco in Dakar underlined that this fraternal gift of phosphate products, granted at the initiative of the King Mohammed VI with regard to Senegal, reflects “the close ties of blood, spirituality, solidarity and deep conviction of the uniqueness of our destiny and our common future”.
The Moroccan diplomat specified that this fraternal and concrete action comes in the wake of the numerous and historic mobilizations of Morocco with regard to Senegal and fellow African countries, recalling that Morocco has shown solidarity in all directions during the Ebola outbreak and the Covid-19 pandemic. In this respect, Hassan Naciri indicated that the King has made food security a strategic priority for Morocco and for Africa, via ever stronger South-South cooperation, specifying that “the Sovereign remains faithful to the choices and to the guiding principles that underpin its vision of a united world and collective action to overcome, together, the challenges facing humanity as a whole and particularly for our African continent”. “Today, Morocco is proud to be at the heart of a solid partnership in the supply of fertilizers, support for African farmers and the sharing of expertise in the agricultural field with sister countries and in particular Senegal, with a view to moving, together, towards efficient, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems,” said the Moroccan ambassador.
Noting that the Emerging Senegal Plan “PSE” is characterized by the preponderance and importance for the country of effective and sustainable food sovereignty, which will be the subject before the end of next December, of a consensual and pragmatic strategy (the Food sovereignty of Senegal), as announced by President Macky Sall, the Moroccan diplomat affirmed that Morocco remains available to support this innovative momentum, promoting emergence.
In his speech for the occasion, the Senegalese Minister of Agriculture paid tribute to the King of Morocco for his actions and solidarity initiatives, particularly in this difficult situation, indicating that this donation is part of the fraternal relationship that exists between Morocco and Senegal.
This fraternal relationship translates into close cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Equipment and Food Sovereignty and OCP, a world leader in fertilizers, through conventions and technical activities relating to fertility. soil and fertilizers, he explained, adding that this donation comes after a difficult global context due to the high cost of fertilizers.
He stressed that this far-reaching gesture, which further strengthens the partnership between the Cherifian Kingdom and Senegal, contributes to facilitating access to fertilizers for small producers, to reducing production costs given the high cost of fertilizers, to increase national production and fight against the high cost of living by improving the availability of agricultural products. Praising this act of inter-African solidarity in a difficult geopolitical context, Ngouille Ndiaye praised the exemplary technical and strategic partnership between his department and OCP Group.
As part of this donation, Senegalese farmers will benefit from training on good agricultural practices, specific recommendations for quality fertilizers and financing solutions.
With MAP
Senegal: A donation of 25,000 tons of fertilizer from Morocco