Some 1.93 million tonnes of phosphates were exported from the disputed territory of Western Sahara in 2018, with an estimated value of $164m, according to a new report from the pressure group Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW). That marks an increase on the trade compared to 2017, when 1.6 million tonnes with a value of $143m was exported. However, the figure could be set to decline this year, after the largest buyer in 2018 decided to halt its purchases from the territory. The phosphate is extracted from the Bou Craa mine, which is operated by Phosphates de Boucraa (Phosboucraa), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morocco’s state-owned Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP). Since 1975 Morocco has asserted sovereignty over the territory, but its claim is not internationally recognized and, according to the United Nations, Western Sahara remains a non-self-governing territory. Phosphate being processed at facilities operated by Morocco's state-owned OCP, near Laayoune, capial... [+] of Western Sahara, on May 13, 2013. (Photo:FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images) The phosphate trade from Western Sahara is concentrated among a small number of international buyers. According to WSRW, there were just six importers from four countries in 2018. The biggest importer, Nutrien, was responsible for 15 of the 33 shipments that took place last year, delivering phosphates to both the U.S. and the company's home market of Canada. However, last year Nutrien announced that it had decided to halt all further imports from Western Sahara from the end of 2018. Unless another buyer emerges to take up the trade, it means exports to North America of what WSRW describes as “conflict minerals” has now come to a stop. The second largest importer last year was Indian/Moroccan firm Paradeep Phosphates, which took nine shipments worth a combined $40m. Other significant importers included two farmer-owned cooperatives in New Zealand: Ballance Agri-Nutrients and Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-op, which accounted for five shipments each, worth a total of $37.7m. Two new buyers emerged during the year: China’s Sinofert Holdings, which is part-owned by Nutrien, imported two shipments worth a combined $9m, while India’s Coromandel was responsible for a single shipment worth $850,000. WSRW has called on all these companies to immediately halt their purchases of phosphates from the occupied territory. None of the six companies had responded to enquiries for this article at the time of publication. WRSW and other campaigning groups have been pushing for a wider boycott of trade with Western Sahara for many years. However, while international courts have repeatedly ruled against Moroccan claims to Western Sahara, many companies appear content to carry on trading in the territory’s resources – in areas ranging from oil exploration to blockchain and renewable energy. The European Commission also continues to try to turn a blind eye to the controversy in its trade deals with Rabat. However, recent trends suggest that Morocco may be finding it harder to secure buyers for the output from the Bou Craa mine. For one thing, the trade in Western Saharan phosphates is becoming far more concentrated, with fewer buyers each year. In 2012 there were at least 15 importers, but the number has steadily declined since then, to just five by the end of 2018. The volume of the trade has ebbed and flowed over that time, with a high of 2.2 million tonnes of exports in 2013 and a low of 1.4 million tonnes in 2015. For the past two years there have been no exports to Europe – the closest major market – although some European firms are still involved in the trade. They include Denmark’s Ultrabulk, which carried out 6 of the 33 shipments in 2018. In addition, WSRW says that a “sizeable number” of the vessels used for shipping the phosphate rock are owned by Greek companies. Exports have also been disrupted in recent years by a number of court cases. In 2017, legal challenges led to shipments of Western Saharan phosphate being detained in both Panama and South Africa. Since then, no shipments have gone via the Cape of Good Hope or through the Panama Canal. Instead, most of the westbound trade has traveled via Cape Horn, while the eastbound traffic has gone via the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal. There have been indications that such court cases may have had a knock-on effect on other exports from Western Sahara. Earlier this year, a Norwegian vessel believed to be carrying fish from the disputed territory’s waters unexpectedly turned around after arriving in South African waters. According to WSRW, the ship was later seen in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
The sale of phosphates from the disputed Western Sahara territory rose to 1.93 million mt in 2018, from 1.6 million mt in 2017, according to a report from Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW). However, Côte d'Ivoire, which is the biggest importer of phosphates from Western Sahara, decided to stop buying the conflict mineral at the end of last year. Morocco claims sovereignty over the region, a claim disputed by the UN. The WSRW has now called on the remaining six buyers to stop purchasing Western Sahara phosphate.