ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to appraise the potential for integration in the fertiliser industry among the Arab countries, as a methodological study which could be generalised to other candidate industries for integration. It presents a profile of the fertiliser industry in a world context, with a view to depicting the characteristics of this industry. On the whole, the fertiliser industry in the Arab countries is of a recent origin. Considering the capital-intensive nature of the fertiliser industry, sizable economies in capital costs as well as in operating costs can be realised through planning and operating plants on a regional scale. Indeed, it is in the interest of the Arab countries, individually and collectively, to rationalise their fertiliser industries on the regional and international levels, and thus maximise their benefits from available resources and markets. It is possible to conceive regional integration in the fertiliser industry along vertical lines.
