(TAP)- The chemical fertilizer plant in Mdhilla (Gafsa governorate) under the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT), resumed its activities on Thursday after a six-month interruption.

This resumption will help Tunisia honour its commitments to its local and international customers in terms of supply of high quality triphosphate, plant manager Mohamed Jnidi Nsib stated to TAP.

He said that the unit specialised in the production of high quality triphosphate had resumed its activities on Thursday, after a suspension period since last November.

The official estimated that the plant will be able to achieve, for the remaining period of the current year, a production volume of at least 200 thousand tons, under normal supply conditions of phosphates and sulfur.

The production of the Mdhilla plant in triphosphate fertilizer in 2020 did not exceed 113 thousand tons, i.e. 25% of its production capacity, thus recording its lowest result during the 2010-2020 period, due to social protests and repeated sit-ins.

According to the data provided by the GCT local directorate in Gafsa, the Mdhilla plant, whose 90% of production is dedicated to world markets, has lost several of its customers in recent years, particularly in Europe, Brazil and Latin America, and its capacity to supply the domestic market with high quality triphosphate, necessary for agricultural production, has also declined.