The Mena Mining Report Q3 2013, from Business Monitor International, claims that low-base effects and the determination to boost non-oil revenues and significant resources will be the main factors for growth. Most of the capacity additions in phosphates will come from Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Ma'aden kicked off the production of diammonium phosphate in the kingdom in 2011 and is expected to steady off at approximately three million tonnes by 2013. Turkey and Northern Iraq were also identified as crucial areas for growth. Despite the downturn in metals, fertilisers were strong in 2012, as agriculture remains key to the global economy. With a sharp slump in China's demand for base metals, fertilisers' demand, paired with delayed projects and plant closers, has led to a strong year for phosphates. Global phosphoric acid production is expected to reach 43 million tonnes by 2015. "We do not expect this market tightness to continue though, as additional supply from Saudi Arabia and Morocco ramp up to full capacity," reveals the report. However, the region will remain peripheral in the global mining sector as it continues to underperform due to political instabilities, the report observes.
