São Paulo – OCP Group, a Moroccan state-owned organisation in the phosphate sector, announced this week the opening of a branch for trade and distribution of fertilizers in Brazil, OCP Fertilizantes Ltda. According to information on the site of Moroccan financial newspaper Les Éco, capital turned to the new structure is R$ 41 million (US$ 20.5 million).
According to a company press statement, OCP plans to expand its presence in the country, which already counts on brand OCP in Brazil. In late 2011, the Moroccan company and multinational Yara, headquartered in Norway, announced the establishment of a joint venture in which OCP has 50% participation in a Yara complex in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, including a fertilizer factory, maritime terminal and storage area.
According to the press statement, the Moroccan company’s products will be traded and distributed in Brazil through the new branch “from several logistics platforms and key storage centres close to areas of consumption in Brazil.” OCP informed that the subsidiary should offer a broad range of phosphate products, including new “high performance” products and supplements for animal feeding.
At the same time, says the company, OCP Brazil plans to increase its operation in the country through market intelligence, agronomic research and public relations initiatives.
The press stamen adds that OCP Fertilizantes “should grant support to Brazilian distributors in order to face the logistics bottlenecks that structurally limit its capacity to serve the market during periods of peak demand.” The executive director of OCP’s commercial area, Mhamed Ibnabdeljali, said, according to a press statement, that the new branch should bring the company closer to clients and should create more trustworthy and flexible mechanisms.
According to information disclosed by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, fertilizer exports from Morocco to Brazil totalled US$ 834 million last year, growth of 11.5% over 2011.
*Translated by Mark Ament
