From Ahmed Al-Jashtimi

RABAT, April 7 (Reuters) - Morocco's state-owned phosphate and fertilizer producer OCP Group expects its production of soil nutrients to fall by about 30 percent in the second quarter due to maintenance work, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

This expected decline comes amid disruptions to global fertilizer supply chains due to conflict in the Middle East and Chinese restrictions on exports.

One of the sources told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that Morocco's phosphate company, the world's largest producer of phosphate fertilizers, had brought forward "planned maintenance activities in the third and fourth quarters to the second quarter."

The source added that the maintenance work was carried out "within the framework of normal operational planning and asset improvement, in the context of increasing market uncertainty."

The second source at the company said the production decline is temporary and OCP does not expect it to have a significant impact on its annual production rate, adding that the expected decrease was discussed during a recent phone call with investors.

The Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) is particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in the prices of ammonia and sulfuric acid, two essential materials in the fertilizer industry whose supply has been severely affected by the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The company's annual report stated that its imports of sulfuric acid nearly doubled to $1.6 billion in 2025, driven by higher consumption and prices, while ammonia imports fell nine percent to $840 million as nitrogen fertilizer production declined.