Maribel Ferrer, Chief Strategy and Financial Officer of OCP North America, emphasized the importance of Morocco's phosphate reserves at the Conference of Montréal 2025. She said that Morocco holds 70% of global phosphate reserves and that OCP approaches these resources as custodians rather than exploiters.
"Morocco is considered as a geological anomaly, actually, when geologists speak about it, because it happens to be that 70% of the world reserves of phosphates are present in the soil in Morocco, in the mines of Morocco," said Ferrer, according to YouTube. "You have phosphates everywhere, in our bodies, in our food, and they're needed in the soil, etc. So the way we approach that is as custodians of those world natural resourcesOCP group, which is the organization, institution that I work for, and that operates these reserves, is at the heart of the history of Morocco, at the heart of a way to approach the use of those natural reserves, operate them from a very, I'm not going to say sustainable, I'm going to say respectful way, because we do not position, OCP does not position itself as exploiter of those 70% of natural resources in the world of phosphates. We all know that without phosphate, not very much things grow. You have phosphates everywhere, in our bodies, in our food, and they're needed in the soil, etc. The way we approach that is as custodians of those world natural resources."
The session, titled "Aligning Global Food Security and Sustainability," gathered experts to discuss the challenges and solutions needed to feed a growing global population while protecting the environment. Ferrer and Michael Harvey, Executive Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, shared their insights on how industry, policy, and international cooperation can ensure a secure, resilient, and sustainable food system worldwide.
According to the OCP Group, phosphate is a naturally occurring mineral crucial for plant growth and modern agriculture. The group manages one of the world’s largest phosphate reserves and supplies phosphate-based fertilizers globally. Phosphate's presence in soil, food, and even the human body underscores its fundamental importance.
"The Ontario government stated that nutrient management regulations in Canada require farmers to use fertilizers like phosphate efficiently to maintain crop yields and minimize environmental impacts," Ferrer said. These regulations outline best practices for storing, handling, and applying nutrients to protect water and soil quality. Effective nutrient management is essential for sustainable agriculture and food security in Canada.
Ferrer has over 20 years of international executive experience in strategy, mergers & acquisitions (M&A), and finance across various sectors including food, agriculture, and biotech. She holds a PhD in Strategy and has held leadership roles at Cargill, IVI RMA Global, and ROMEU Y CIA. Additionally, she is a former professor of corporate strategy and finance.