Indonesia is seeking to import more rock phosphate from Morocco to boost its agricultural production in the years to come and to boost cooperation in agriculture, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced after Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyanto’s recent visit to Rabat.
“The Indonesian government wants to enhance its relations with Morocco in the field of agriculture, especially in agricultural research,” the Foreign Ministry said on its website, quoting Anton as saying during his talks with Moroccan Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhanouch.
“It also wants to enhance the volume of bilateral trade.”
Morocco has 80 billion tons of phosphate reserves, which may last for another 700 years at the present rate of exploitation.
“We are the biggest supplier of phosphate to Indonesia,” Moroccan Embassy counselor Mostafa Nakhlaoui told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Indonesia is seeking to import more phosphate from the North African nation to meet its requirements in the fertilizer sector.
During the visit, one of Indonesia’s leading fertilizer companies, PT Pupuk Kaltim, asked Moroccan National Phosphate Company OCP to supply 100,000 tons of phosphate in the coming months. OCP has agreed to the deal.
Phosphate is the one of major components in the fast-growing bilateral trade between Indonesia and Morocco.
In 2008, two-way trade surged to US$109.31 million, a 47 percent increase from $74.19 million in 2007.
Even as the present global financial crisis takes its toll, bilateral trade jumped to $40.77 million in the first six months of this year , a 12.93 percent increase from $36.10 million during the same period in 2008.
Indonesia mainly exports coffee, rubber, glassware, palm oil, spices, tea, furniture and garments to Morocco, while importing phosphate, fertilizers, chemicals, iron and steel rods.
In recent years, senior officials from both countries have paid reciprocal visits.
Last year, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda attended the first-ever joint commission meeting in Rabat. Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi visited Jakarta in March 2009. In August 2009, a 15-member parliamentary delegation from the Indonesian House of Representatives visited Morocco to study regional autonomy laws as applied in that country.
Like Indonesia, Morocco – a pioneer in Africa and the Arab world in the environmental field – is also interested in safeguarding its environment. Both countries will look to become good partners in protecting the environment and working together at the upcoming summit in Copenhagen on climate change.
Moroccan state news agency Agence Maghreb Presse reported that Morocco’s King Mohammed VI recently presided over a working session on the environment.
“The environment should be considered a common heritage of the nation, whose protection is a collective duty which falls to current and future generations,” the King said in his speech.
He also called for the immediate drafting of a national charter for the environment.
