China has shipped 30,000 tons of liquid ammonia to Morocco from the eastern city of Nanjing, opening a new route as the kingdom seeks to secure fertilizer supplies, 7news Morocco reports. The Chinese embassy in Morocco announced the cargo in a post on X. Ammonia supplies the nitrogen needed for fertilizers.
Morocco is one of the world’s largest ammonia importers, spending about $1.77bn on some 3.7m tons in 2024. It holds more than 70% of known phosphate rock reserves and is a major fertilizer producer through OCP Group, but lacks the fossil fuels needed to make synthetic ammonia economically at scale. The new route is part of efforts to diversify supply and cut the risk of disruptions and price spikes.
China has become an important source. In May 2026, Morocco imported 51,050 tons from China, up 163% and more than 27% of China’s 185,000 tons of ammonia exports that month, according to a report citing Chinese customs data. The route could also improve deliveries to OCP’s plants at Jorf Lasfar and Safi, though transit times and capacity beyond the first cargo are not specified.
OCP reported first-half 2026 revenue of 48.37bn dirhams ($5.02bn), down from 52.17bn dirhams a year earlier, as higher sulfur and imported ammonia costs and weaker global fertilizer demand weighed on the industry.
OCP is investing $13bn in renewable energy and electrolysis to produce hydrogen-based ammonia, aiming for 1m tons of green ammonia a year by 2027 and 3m tons by 2032, with projects in Tarfaya, Laâyoune and Jorf Lasfar. Until that reaches commercial scale, Morocco will rely on long-term contracts and spot purchases, and the Nanjing route adds a further link.