OCP North America and CHS Inc., the largest agricultural cooperative in the United States, have announced a joint project to build a phosphate fertilizer production facility in Louisiana. The investment will reach up to $450 million roughly 4.5 billion Moroccan dirhams with an annual capacity exceeding one million tons. If completed, it would be the first facility of its kind built in the United States since 1984.
The site selected is the Cornerstone Energy Park, an 800-acre industrial park in Waggaman, Louisiana, chosen for its existing infrastructure and multimodal logistics connectivity.
The partnership leverages each company’s strengths. OCP will supply phosphoric acid drawn from its own resources, while the finished products will reach American farmers through the distribution networks of both OCP North America and CHS.
The project responds to a structural shortfall in the American market. The United States currently imports about 40% of its phosphate fertilizer needs, as domestic extraction has fallen by more than half since 1995.
OCP North America’s CEO, Kevin Kimm, called the initiative a major step for American food security, while CHS president and CEO Jay Debertin noted it would be the first plant of its kind in more than four decades.
The project remains subject to the usual regulatory approvals. A funding request has been filed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FIELDS program.
The announcement comes just ten days after a first cargo of 54,000 tons of Moroccan TSP was unloaded at the Port of New Orleans, resuming deliveries to the United States after the temporary suspension of countervailing duties decided on June 29. OCP had called for long-term tariff visibility as a condition for infrastructure investment in North America.
TheHatLady
