ASEAN COMMITTEE IN RABAT VISITED THE OCP PHOSPHATE MINING SITE IN KHOURIBGA
ASEAN delegates with the representatives from OCP Khouribga Mining Site
30 March 2022 – As part of its initiative to improve the presence of ASEAN in Morocco, the ASEAN Committee in Rabat (ACR) visited the OCP phosphate mining site in Khouribga.
OCP Group is a state-owned phosphate-mining firm and currently the largest phosphate conglomerate in Morocco that has sole access to the world's largest phosphate reserves. The mining site in Khouribga, located approximately 188km south of Rabat, opened in 1921 and is home to the majority of the country’s phosphate reserves. Aside from the one in Khouribga, OCP also has mining sites in Gantour, Jorf Lasfar, and Safi.
From L-R: Malaysian Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Kathiravan Subramaniam, Thai Ambassador Nontawat Chandrtri, PH Ambassador Leslie J. Baja, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Thi Thu Ha, Head of OCP Khouribga Mining Site Abdelkarim Ramzi, Indonesian AmbassadorHasrul Azwar, and Bruneian ChargeĢe d’Affaires Nur Hafizah Al-Islam Binti Awang Mahani.
During the visit, the Ambassadors and other ASEAN diplomats were briefed about OCP’s facilities and activities, including the company’s initiatives to help farmers and support their sustainable use of fertilizer with very minimal impact to the environment. ASEAN diplomats were also brought to one of the mining areas in Khouribga where the 8400 dragline, a 60-year old machine used to extract phosphate, is operating. ASEAN delegates participated in a tree-planting activity as part of OCP’s mining rehabilitation and environmental recovery program.
PH Embassy representatives participate in the tree-planting activity
Finally, the delegates visited the Beni Amir washing plant where phosphate ore goes through a wet treatment process, as well as the slurry pipeline station where engineers monitor and control the 187-km pipeline that transports phosphate pulp between the mining site in Khouribga and Jorf Lasfar terminal station.
The ACR hopes that the familiarization visit would serve as an opportunity to encourage OCP to expand its presence in the Southeast Asia region. END
