morocco & jordan to supply rock to indonesia

Morocco and Jordan to supply phosphate to RI
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 05:44 WIB | Economic & Business | | Viewed 68 time(s)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Morocco and Jordan are ready to supply rock phosphate and potassium to Indonesia to meet the country`s need of the raw materials for its organic fertilizer industry.

Indonesia`s agriculture minister Anton Apriyantono said here on Monday confirmation about the supply was important as the two rocks were the raw materials for SP-36 and NPK Pelangi fertilizers as an alternative for single fertilizer use.

"Until now we have not had the natural source of phosphate and the two countries are the world`s biggest producers. Morocco even controls 40 percent of phosphate trade in the world. Its supply to Indonesia is still a minimum," he said after visiting Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan from August 23-31.

In the visit, he was accompanied by the director general of food crops, Sutarto Alimoeso, the president director of PT PKT, Hidayat Nyakman, the directors of PT Pusri and PT Petrokimia Gresik.

Regarding the contract the minister said he did not know for sure as it was done on a business-to-business basis between Indonesian fertilizer producers and Morocco`s phosphate producer agency Cherifien Des Phosphate.

In their meeting the OCP agreed to supply phosphate at a reasonable price while PT PKT had offered to buy 100,000 tons of phosphate from the OCP.

"The two sides agreed to discuss technical details further. So ask PKT directors about it," he told the media.

The minister said cooperation with Morocco would also include exports by Indonesia of vaccines, animal medicines, spices to that country. The two countries had also agreed to conduct regular business meetings.

The minister said Indonesia needed certainty with regard to the phosphate supply because it had once suffered a shortage causing fertilizer production to become disrupted.

He said the government meanwhile had also encouraged the use of NPK and organic fertilizers to replace single fertilizer.

"To assure stable supply of the raw materials and to avoid possible shortage (exports are done). The phosphate from Jordan is taken from the Dead Sea," he said.

Sutarto said NPK production in 2009 reached 1.5 million tons while in 2010 expected to reach 2.0 million tons while stocks of SP-36 which is man-made phosphate fertilizer is estimated at 800,000 to one million tons.(*)

http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1251758682/morocco-and-jordan-to-supply-phosphate-to-ri