OCP phosphate cargo bound for U.S. within days as logistics clear, USDA confirms

Morocco’s OCP Group is finalizing last-mile logistics to resume phosphate fertilizer shipments to the United States, with USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden confirming on July 17 that ships could head to New Orleans “as early as the end of this week or next week.”

OCP North America’s CEO met with USDA officials this week to resolve the remaining paperwork required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to classify imports under President Trump’s June 29 emergency proclamation, which suspended antidumping and countervailing duties on Moroccan phosphate for eight months. Vaden told DTN the final step is determining “how exactly to classify this under the president’s order.”

Phosphate fertilizer prices have not yet moved in response to the duty suspension. MAP averaged $954 per ton and DAP averaged $912 per ton in the most recent DTN survey — essentially flat with the prior month. Vaden said “those price effects should begin to filter through when the ships hit New Orleans.”

USDA estimates the suspension could reduce phosphate fertilizer costs by as much as 22%, generating around $1.82 billion in annual savings and benefiting roughly 100,000 U.S. farmers across 97 million planted acres. The suspension is time-bound rather than volume-bound, meaning OCP can ship unlimited quantities during the eight-month window. Vaden encouraged retailers to lock in lower-priced supplies beyond the suspension’s February expiry.

The duty suspension follows five years of trade friction. Duties first imposed in 2021 at 19.97% were reduced to 2.11% in December 2025, then zeroed out via the June 29 emergency proclamation, which cited supply chain disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz partial closure, declining U.S. domestic phosphate output, and the need to safeguard American food production.

Source: DTN Progressive Farmer