By Abdullahi Lukman
Japan and Morocco have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on food security and ensuring a stable supply of phosphate fertilisers, as both countries seek to deepen their strategic partnership.
The commitment was made during talks in Tokyo between Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ayano Kunimitsu, and the Chief Executive Officer of OCP Nutricrops, Faris Derrij.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the discussions built on the Japan-Morocco Joint Communiqué issued in May, which pledged closer collaboration on food security and reliable phosphate fertiliser supplies.
Kunimitsu said Japan is committed to expanding its strategic and mutually beneficial relationship with Morocco by strengthening cooperation with the OCP Group in agriculture and fertiliser production.
In response, Derrij reaffirmed Morocco’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with Japan in the fertiliser and food security sectors, while both sides highlighted their decades-long partnership in agriculture and water resource management.
The meeting followed a recent visit by Japan’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Norikazu Suzuki, to OCP Group’s industrial complex in Jorf Lasfar, where both countries explored opportunities to further strengthen agricultural cooperation.
OCP said its partnership with Japanese stakeholders dates back to 1961 and has evolved into a strategic alliance supporting agricultural development and the stable supply of phosphate fertilisers to Japan and the ASEAN region.
The renewed partnership also underscores Morocco’s growing role in global food security.
Home to about 70 per cent of the world’s phosphate reserves, the country remains one of the leading producers and exporters of phosphate-based fertilisers.
OCP, one of the world’s largest fertiliser producers, reported revenues of 114 billion Moroccan dirhams in 2025 and plans to increase annual fertiliser production from 12 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes by 2027, while pursuing carbon neutrality through investments in renewable energy and sustainable fertiliser production.