Export Trading Group (ETG) has expressed interest in investing in fertiliser production from natural gas in Mozambique, with the stated ambition of becoming the leading producer of the agricultural input in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to a communiqué from the Presidency of the Republic, the intention was presented on Thursday, 22 October, by the group’s commercial director, Graham Hewlett, during an audience with President Daniel Chapo in Maputo.
“We are here to explore gas for fertilisers, to be the main producer of fertilisers in sub-Saharan Africa. This is our mission here in Mozambique,” Hewlett told reporters after the meeting.
Hewlett noted that ETG has been operating in Mozambique for more than 40 years and owns Falcon Steel, the group’s commercial and distribution arm in the steel sector. He added that the company is, by its own account, the country’s largest importer of fertilisers.
“We are here to develop Mozambique,” he said, reiterating the group’s interest in contributing to national economic development through new investments.
Regarding the meeting with the head of state, Hewlett said the group received support to proceed with the fertiliser-from-natural-gas project, expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the encounter.
“It was fantastic. We have all possible support from President Chapo. The meeting was fantastic,” he said.
ETG is a multinational group with operations in more than 48 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. Its activities span the supply of agricultural inputs and fertilisers, commodity trading and processing, as well as the steel, construction materials, logistics, infrastructure, energy, and metals sectors.
The interest in producing fertilisers from natural gas fits within the group’s plans to expand its activities in Mozambique, linking the utilisation of the country’s energy resources to the production of inputs destined for agriculture.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=554829
