After a two-year blocking because of a series of sit-ins observed by job seekers, the construction of the Mdhila 2 plant for the manufacture of chemical fertilizers, will soon be resumed, Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, Neila Nouira Gonji said Tuesday.
Ms. Gonji, who was accompanied by the Minister of Social Affairs and other government officials, was visiting Gafsa where the government delegation discussed ways to overcome the difficulties hindering the start of the Mdhila 2 plant. The delegation held meetings with officials in the region, the plant’s managers and job seekers observing a sit-in since January 2020.
The sit-in has hampered the completion of technical tests for the production units of carbon acid and phosphoric acid, which experiments should precede the launch of production, since it has impeded the completion of the production unit of Triple SuperPhosphate (TSP) whose completion rate is estimated at 90%.
The Minister of Industry told reporters the government understands the claims of the sit-inners, adding a competition will soon be launched to recruit employees for the new plant. Representatives of both parties have agreed to resume work, and the next few days will be devoted to assessing the condition of the plant before launching the final work, she pointed out, without specifying the date of the TSP actual production launch.
The Minister stressed the importance of this project in increasing the domestic production of TSP intended entirely for export, and its role in enhancing the country’s position on the international market for fertilizers.
The domestic production of TSP, which amounts to 460 thousand tonnes currently, should increase to over 900 thousand tonnes after the start of production of this new plant.
This plant created in 2010, should have been operational five years ago, but security concerns and social tensions in the delegation of Mdhila have caused a significant delay in the work.
