The indicators of commercial phosphate production during the first half of 2023 saw a 21% drop compared to the figures of 2022 and a deviation of 50% in relation to the estimates of the Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG), according to the Rakaba Observatory.
Secretary-General of the Observatory Mohamed Abdelmoumen told TAP on Friday that phosphate production during the current year's first semester amounted to approximately 1.5 million tonnes, significantly below the CPG's projections.
He added that the production in June reached 210,000 tonnes, representing a deviation of 54% from the targeted production volume set by the company.
With 1 million tonnes of phosphate sold to CPG clients from January to the end of April 2023, phosphate transportation also experienced a decrease of no less than 50%, according to the same source, while the company had anticipated quantities approaching 2 million tonnes.
These figures were recorded «against a backdrop of a stable social climate,» noted the same source, explaining that except for the shutdown of production at the Redeyef unit, all production sites in the mining basin (Metlaoui, Mdhilla, Om Larayes) are operating at a normal production pace, with no form of protests or social demands.
Attempts to contact CPG officials to comment on the figures presented by the Rakaba Observatory did not yield any results.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse