US Imposes Duties on OCP

OCP PLEADS AGAINST COUNTERVAILING DUTIES IMPOSED ON ITS US IMPORTS

The OCP Group responded to the decision issued by the US Department of Commerce to impose countervailing duties of 23.46% on US imports of Moroccan and Russian phosphate fertilizers based on a complaint filed by Mosaic last June.

Mosaic, an American company that specializes in the production of potash and phosphate fertilizer, had lodged a complaint with the US Department of Commerce, claiming that “the OCP Group’s exports to America benefit from support from the Moroccan government and resort to selling its products at a low price.

The OCP Group responded stating that “there is no basis for imposing duties on imports of Moroccan fertilizers on the American market,” noting that this measure “harms American farmers by denying them access to a reliable source of high-quality fertilizers, at a time when American agriculture is fighting the repercussions of low incomes in Last few years“.

The Moroccan group indicated that it “fully cooperated with the authorities in the United States of America during the first stage of looking into this file,” and stressed that it “will continue to defend its position in the second phase of the process, which is expected to end by March 2021.”

It is decided that these American duties will be applied to Moroccan phosphate exports, starting next December 1. However, the OCP group will be compensated for them in case the final decision is in their favor.

The American market represents between 10% and 15% of Moroccan phosphate exports. However, The group decided to stop its exports months ago, after the “Mosaic” company’s complaint.

The OCP group is “confident that the second phase of the process of this file will prove that there is no basis for the imposition of duties on imports of Moroccan fertilizers.

The OCP group believes in a fair and open competitive market, whether in the US market or other markets in which it operates, and it always operates accordingly to the rules and laws that are imposed and international trade.

The group passes through full cooperation with the US authorities to present all arguments, in cooperation with the Moroccan government, adding that this process will continue until a final decision is made at the end of next March.

The group is completely confident that the continuous cooperation and defense of its positions during the second stage will confirm the complete absence of the basis for imposing these initial compensatory duties on imports of Moroccan phosphate.

The developments in this file lead to questions about the motives behind the decision made by “Mosaic” company to file an unfounded application against exports of Moroccan phosphate, especially since the American company has been facing financial difficulties for months.

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