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Note: As a result of the political crises sweeping North Africa, production of phosphate rock and fertiliser products ceased in Tunisia at the end of January
Off the rails: Tunisian phosphate was not on
track in February owing to workers blocking
transports between GCT's mines and plants
at Gafsa, Sfax and Mdhilla-Gafsa
Dave Smith, Phantasrail Galleries 2009
As a result of the political crises sweeping North Africa (see Comment p.7), production of phosphate rock and fertiliser products ceased in Tunisia at the end of January.
Tunisian phosphate rock mines and plants were shut for a period of weeks owing to labour disputes at the mines, and disruption to the railway between the mines and plants.
Producing 8m. tpa phosphate rock, Tunisia is the second most important phosphate producer in Africa after Morocco, and the world's fifth largest producer accounting for about 5% of world supply.
Phosphate production in Tunisia is controlled and operated by Tunisia's state-owned Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa (CPG), which has eight open-cast and underground operations in the south-western region of Gafsa, and has been mining phosphate for almost a century.
CPG revealed to IM that it has ceased producing phosphate. "Phosphate production has been stopped since 29 January, which represents a loss of 400,000 tonnes, as we produce about 20,000 tpd," Ahmed Jedidi, CPG's central director of production, said at time of press.
Jedidi explained that Tunisians are using the phosphate industry the country's second biggest trade after tourism [ETH] to put pressure on the new government to create new jobs in an economy badly affected by unemployment.
More than 90% of Tunisian phosphate rock is mined from the Gafsa basin. The material is then processed into trisodium phosphate (TSP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), nitrate fertiliser and phosphoric acid by its subsidiary Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GCT).
CPG exports about 15% of its phosphate rock to India, Poland, Turkey, and Brazil, the remaining 85% being used by GCT which then sells it mainly to the Indian market.
Jedidi underlined that the phosphate market would not be affected in Tunisia as CPG has a strategic stock of 6.8m. tonnes and could therefore continue to supply customers for ten months.
However, owing to workers blocking mining and transport of phosphate raw material to the processing...