OCP Africa, a subsidiary of the OCP Group, world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate fertilizers, signed a partnership memorandum of understanding with the Mali Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday in Bamako, Mali.
This agreement, supported by the World Bank, aims to sustainably strengthen Malian agriculture by improving soil health and facilitating access for small farmers to essential inputs and services, indicates OCP Africa in a press release published Thursday.
This protocol follows another signed between the OCP Group and the World Bank during the annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF held in Marrakech, as part of initiatives to support farmers in West Africa and the Sahel. , adds the press release.
This partnership covers several key initiatives aimed at strengthening agriculture and promoting soil health in Mali through the establishment by OCP Africa of experimental plots to test innovative solutions intended to restore soil fertility. In this context, digital mapping will be developed, allowing precise fertilization according to the principles of the 4Rs: the right time, the right source, the right ratio and the right place, the same source specifies.
This memorandum of understanding also aims to strengthen the agricultural entrepreneurship of young people and women by promoting agri-tech through training, incubation and acceleration programs for agritech start-ups, in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, as well as the creation of an ecosystem of agricultural start-ups, supported by venture capital funds to encourage local innovation.
This new agreement is part of the framework of South-South cooperation, illustrating the vision of King Mohammed VI for strengthened cooperation between African countries and more specifically between Morocco and Mali. It also demonstrates the solid commitment of the World Bank alongside the OCP Group for agricultural development in Africa, the press release continued.
“This partnership represents a crucial step in our collective approach to revitalize the agricultural sector in Mali. Thanks to innovative technologies such as soil mapping and precision fertilization, we will contribute to sustainable and flourishing agricultural development for the country,” underlined the Director General of OCP Africa, Mohamed Anouar Jamali, quoted in the press release.
With this new partnership, the OCP group, through OCP Africa, reaffirms its long-term commitment to contribute to the transformation of agriculture in Mali, with the ambition of making it a model of success on the continent.
OCP Africa has already demonstrated its commitment to Malian agriculture. In 2023/2024, the company supplied 15,000 tonnes of fertilizer, facilitating Malian farmers’ access to quality inputs. For 2024/2025, a supply of 21,000 tonnes is planned. In 2023, 44 experimental plots were established on rice and corn, with a target of 200 new plots in key areas such as the Office du Niger. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was also launched, aiming to label 20,000 plots, with an ambitious target of 100,000 by the end of the year. Since 2014, OCP has reached thousands of Malian farmers through training on sustainable agricultural practices, thus continuing a tradition of cooperation with Mali, recalls the press release.
LNT with MAP
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– 2024-10-04 04:16:52
