Doukkala-Abda
Atlantic plain irrigated since 1964 grows sugar beets and cereals. 1982: Jorf Lasfar became world's largest fertilizer complex—processing phosphate locally before export.
Not all resource regions drain value the same way. While most extraction zones ship raw materials elsewhere for processing, Doukkala-Abda captured one step further in the value chain—it processed phosphate into fertilizer before export. The difference between mining and refining, between extraction and transformation, shaped two centuries of economic development along this Atlantic coastal plain.
The Doukkala plains stretch inland from El Jadida, irrigated by the Oum Er-Rbia river since French engineers installed the first water distribution systems in 1964. The dark Tirs soil supports wheat, but farmers pivoted toward higher-value crops when consistent water arrived: sugar beets for Morocco's national sugar company, sunflower for oil processing. By the 1980s, irrigation had transformed 14,000 hectares of seasonal grazing land into year-round cultivation. Small farms under 5 hectares saw productivity jump 142% between 1964 and 2016; medium farms (5-10 ha) gained 67%. The agricultural metabolism here differs from rain-fed zones like Chaouia—controlled water input allows precision planting, harvest timing, and crop rotation. The plains feed Morocco's food supply, but the real economic weight comes from industrial processing.
In 1982, King Hassan II broke ground at Jorf Lasfar, 25 km south of El Jadida, launching construction of what would become the world's largest phosphate fertilizer complex. The first processing lines opened in 1984; sulfuric and phosphoric acid production began in 1986; fertilizer manufacturing started in 1987. Unlike Khouribga (which ships raw phosphate rock to distant refineries), Jorf Lasfar completes the transformation locally: phosphate rock from Youssoufia mines 80 km southeast arrives via pipeline, gets processed through chemical reactors, emerges as refined fertilizer, and loads directly onto cargo ships from the deepwater port. By 2004, Jorf Lasfar ranked as Morocco's second-busiest port after Casablanca. Current capacity stands at 6 million metric tons of phosphoric acid and 10.5 million tons of fertilizers annually—more than any other single facility worldwide.
On September 15, 2015, Morocco's "advanced regionalization" decree split Doukkala-Abda along economic lines. El Jadida and Sidi Bennour provinces joined Casablanca-Settat (linking the port to Morocco's economic capital). Safi and Youssoufia provinces joined Marrakesh-Safi (connecting mines to regional processing). The administrative division recognized what already existed: an integrated supply chain from extraction (Youssoufia) through processing (Jorf Lasfar) to export (Atlantic shipping lanes).
Through 2026, global fertilizer demand keeps Jorf Lasfar operating at capacity. The complex exemplifies value-chain integration: Morocco exports refined product, not raw materials—capturing processing margins that most resource economies surrender to foreign refineries. The irrigated plains keep producing sugar beets and cereals. The phosphate pipeline keeps flowing. The difference between Chaouia (source) and Doukkala (processor) persists: one extracts, the other transforms.