On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Morocco and India, the Times of India published an Op-ed making the case for strengthening relations with the North African Kingdom as a means to outreach diplomatically and economically to francophone Africa. “With Morocco back in the African institutional family, India has a new strong partner to further its interests in Africa,” Ghosh said. In 2014, trade between the two countries stood at $1.36 billion, with India’s exports to Morocco amounting to $500.5 million, while imports were valued at $855.8 million. The balance of trade is generally in favor of Morocco because of India’s imports of phosphates. India sources a large chunk of its rock phosphates and phosphoric acid requirements for its fertiliser industry from Morocco, the world’s biggest phosphate exporter.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 02, 2017 16:30 UTC