Phosphate: Togo records a 10% increase in output in 2020-2021

Mining

Tuesday, 30 August 2022 17:10

Phosphate: Togo records a 10% increase in output in 2020-2021

(Togo First) - Togo produced 1.3 million and 1.45 million tons of phosphate in 2020 and 2021, respectively. While still far from its level in the 80s and 90s (+2 million tons), the country has not recorded such performances since 2003.

From 2020 to 2021, the country’s output was up 10%. Sales also shot up to nearly 1.39 million tons last year–the highest since 1999. Both the rise in output and sales are good news for Togo since global prices of phosphate almost doubled between February and December 2021–from $88 to $176.

Also, market conditions are favorable for exports, especially since the price rose from $173 in January 2022 to $287 in June–its highest since 2009.

According to the United Nations database Comtrade, Togo's exports of salt, sulfur, earth, stone, plaster, lime, and cement- which includes phosphate ore- in the international trade nomenclature, generated $205 million in 2021. For Togo, phosphate and clinker are the most important products in this group.

The Trade Map database, which is powered by the World Trade Organization (WTO), provides more details, showing $129 million in phosphate sales for 2021 alone.

Let’s recall that phosphate is one of the main ingredients used to make fertilizers.

Written by:Fiacre E. Kakpo

Translated from French by Schadrac Akinocho

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