OCP Africa SA’s fertilizer blending plant currently under construction in Rwanda is expected to begin operations in May next year, according to a report this week by Rwanda’s New Times.
The plant, located in Bugesera Industrial Park in the country’s Eastern Province, will have capacity to produce 100,000 mt/y of blended fertilizers. It will operate as the Rwanda Fertiliser Co. (RFC), which is a joint venture between OCP Africa, a fully-owned subsidiary of Morocco’s OCP Group SA, and the Rwandan government. The jv was established in August 2018 (GM Aug. 17, 2018).
Completion of the project originally was targeted for the end of 2019 (GM May 24, 2019), and according to the report, has been delayed by the need to switch construction contractors due to alleged problems with the original contractor.
The cost of the plant has been put at an estimated $38 million. It will produce, market, and distribute tailor-made fertilizers best suited for Rwandan soils.
Meanwhile, the OCP Group has donated 15,000 mt of DAP to Rwanda, and has committed to supply the country with an additional 17,000 mt of DAP at a discounted price, according to a report this week by All Africa Global Media. The report cited Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gerardine Mukeshimana, in an interview with the New Times.
The minister said the contribution was important “especially in this period when fertilizer costs are high, mainly as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and rising transport costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to the report, 5,000 mt of the donated DAP will be free starting stock for the new fertilizer blending plant, while 10,000 mt will be used as a strategic fertilizer reserve.
Mukeshimana was visiting the construction site of the new fertilizer blending plant to assess its progress.