High expectations as OCP commissions multi-billion naira NPK plant

Expectations are high as OCP Africa (a subsidiary of OCP Group), a leading global provider of phosphate and its derivatives, is set to commission its state-of-the-art fertiliser plant in Kaduna.

The group is also putting finishing touches to bigger plants in Sokoto and Abeokuta, respectively.

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The Kaduna plant, which has already started production, will be officially commissioned next week, while the plants in Sokoto and Abeokuta will start operations in January and May 2023, respectively.

These three blending plants have a combined capacity of 500,000 metric tons of NPK fertiliser and will add to the existing over 72 blending plants across the country.

Speaking with Daily Trust on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr Caleb Usoh (Deputy Managing Director, Programme Incubation – West Africa) said the investment in the Kaduna, Sokoto and Abeokuta fertiliser plants is valued at $43 million.

This is in addition to another industrial project in partnership with the federal government worth $1.48 billion in Akwa Ibom State, to be delivered in the next four years.

With this development, OCP said the goal of getting the different forms of NPK fertiliser closer to wherever farmers are has materialised.

 “These three blending plants will produce different kinds of NPK. You may have heard of 15:15; 15 or 20:10:10. There is a lot more than those two. So that’s what we want to take Nigeria to.

The plant produces 15:15:15, 18:21:30 or whatever, plus the micronutrients: magnesium, zinc, sulphur etc.

“Our research is to take us to a point where we will not only focus on macro-nutrients but also micronutrients, which are essential to the better workings of the macronutrients,” he said.

He said the plant will produce whatever formulation a farmer needs, including crop-specific blends.

Mr Usoh stated that the rationale for the three plants was to cover the country adequately with NPK fertiliser, adding that the Sokoto plant is to supply the North; Kaduna to take care of the North Central; and Ogun State to take care of the southern part of the country.

He said in the future, the Sokoto plant will handle the market in the neighbouring countries in the sub-region and, as demand increases, more plants would be built.

Also speaking, Mr Oluwatoba Asana, the Country Manager, Nigeria, OCP Africa, said with the three blending plants, there would be enough fertiliser to meet the needs of farmers across the entire country.

He said they are aware that 80 per cent of those playing in the agricultural space are smallholder farmers, with many of them unable to afford most of the inputs because of cost.

However, the group has programmes and projects like the agric booster and farmers’ hub that provides access to inputs to farmers on loan to be paid immediately after a productive season.