New Delhi: Morocco has indicated enhancing the supply of rock phosphate and phosphoric acid to India to enable it meet its raw material requirement for manufacturing DAP and other complex fertilisers.

The indication came in a meeting between Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi and India's Minister of Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steel Ram Vilas Paswan at Rabat today. Paswan is leading a high-level delegation to Morocco on a three-day visit. In the hour long meeting with the Fassi, Paswan discussed issues including investment opportunities in Morocco by Indian companies in chemicals, fertilisers, steel and automobiles. Possibilities of cooperation in the field of mineral and oil exploration were also discussed.

Later, the Indian delegation met Mostafa Terrab, President and CEO of OCP, the world's largest supplier of rock phosphate and phosphoric acid at Casablanca -- Morocco's largest city as well as its main port. Terrab assured that OCP would make all possible efforts to ship enhanced quantities of these raw materials and intermediates required for phosphoric fertilisers with distinct and considerable price advantage to India vis-a-vis the prevailing international prices.

India imports nearly 1.1 million tons of rock phosphate from Morocco, which accounts for 22 per cent of its total rock phosphate import. India also imports about 1.2 million tons of phosphoric acid from Morocco, which accounts for about 50 per cent of its total import. Annually, it imports nearly 5 million tons of rock phosphate, 2.5 million tons of phosphoric acid and 3 million tons of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP).

Source : PTI