Nutrien ends North African deal

Article Excerpt

Morocco mining accounts for about 21% of the country’s total exports. The country is a top producer of phosphates and more-modest volumes of gold, silver, zinc, copper and cobalt. Morocco’s mining industry operates under a well-established regulatory code that supports a stable operating environment. That lets Morocco rank as the second-most-attractive mining country in the Middle East and North Africa. However, Morocco lays claim to, and administers, Western Sahara. That former Spanish colony in North Africa is classified by the United Nations as a “Non-Self-Governing Territory.” Much of Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco since 1975, which has led to sustained conflict with the local Saharawi people. Moroccan control over the territory’s natural resources is also a major point of conflict. Nutrien, the Canadian fertilizer producer (symbol NTR on Toronto), used to purchase large amounts of phosphate rock from an entity controlled by the Moroccan government. Western Sahara Resource Watch estimates that Agrium and Potash Corp. (which merged to create Nutrien)…