Accra, Oct 24 (IANS): The Indian family-owned Indorama Corporation based in Singapore says it has in the past three years invested hundreds of millions of dollars to establish Chimique du Senegal (ICS) and become the largest producer of polyolefins in West Africa.

It has also added to its Nigerian operations in the region to become the largest producer of fertilisers in Sub-Saharan Africa, company spokesperson Ramesh Soni said.

The ICS, Soni told IANS, is Senegal's largest industrial complex and also the largest producer of phosphate fertilisers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is an integrated complex starting from the mining of rock phosphate, ore beneficiation, phosphoric acid production, and finally the end production of fertiliser. It has well-integrated logistics, including access to the railway system, its own fleet of locomotives and rail wagons and a dedicated berth at Dakar port.

The company, which entered Senegal three years ago, has a complex fertiliser manufacturing unit at Mbao, 18 km from Dakar. Most of the granulated fertiliser is intended for the West African market, principally for growing cotton, peanuts and vegetables.

ICS produces "NPK" fertilisers by combining phosphoric acid with ammonia and potash. Indeed, nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) are the essential nutrients plants need to grow.

Indorama Corporation has also established a $1.35 billion fertiliser plant in Nigeria with a production capacity of 1.4 million tonnes of urea. In an email exchange, Soni said the company "plans to increase its investment in Africa and for that we are exploring further opportunities in the fertiliser chain".

Currently, Indorama Corporation is one of Asia's leading chemical holding companies and traces its origin to a start-up of Indo-Rama Synthetics in Indonesia by its founders, M.L. Lohia and his son S.P. Lohia, in 1975.

It has grown to manufacture several products including, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, fertilisers, textiles and medical gloves. It is also the largest producer of synthetic disposable gloves in the world and one of the most international and geographically diversified producers of spun yarn.

The company spokesman said its purpose is to build, acquire, and operate world-class manufacturing businesses around the world based on internal synergies and growth opportunities.