Four agropoles, 300 businesses implemented and 14,000 jobs created: this is the outcome of the efforts of MedZ, leader in the development of industrial zones in Morocco, supporting the Generation Green strategy, aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the national agro-industrial sector. Each park dedicated to agro-industry, strategically located near road networks and agricultural production areas, offers land equipped to optimize logistics and production. Accessibility is complemented by proximity to employment areas, thus enriching the local economic fabric, as Mohssine Semmar, chairman of the board of this subsidiary of the CDG group, explains to us in this interview with Le360.
Le360: first of all, present to us the MedZ offer in agropoles.
Mohssine Semmar: MedZ, a subsidiary of the CDG group’s territorial development branch, has positioned itself since its creation as a supporter of the Kingdom’s sectoral strategies, including the Generation Green agricultural strategy.
MedZ contributes to this strategy by developing activity zones which ensure the competitiveness prerequisites necessary for the agro-industrial sector to achieve the objectives set. In partnership with the State, MedZ manages the entire value chain necessary for the creation of an activity zone, from design to management, including development, promotion and marketing. This offers manufacturers and players in the agro-industrial value chain adequate infrastructure, including equipped land near road networks and agricultural production areas, as well as proximity to diversified employment areas.
Our offer also includes integrated logistics, with dedicated spaces in our areas. And as part of the agricultural strategy, each agropole hosts a qualipole which centralizes administrative services and authorizations, and integrates infrastructures dedicated to research and knowledge, promoting innovation and technological development in the sector.
Read also: Memorandum of Understanding between AMDL and MedZ for the implementation of a national logistics zones program
We have developed four agropoles so far. These are Agropolis in Meknes, the agropolis of Berkane, that of Souss-Massa and the most recent at Loukkos in Larache. These parks are designed to promote agricultural products and support all related activities such as agrosupplies, packaging, mechanical manufacturing and irrigation, thus strengthening the competitiveness of the sector and contributing to Morocco’s food sovereignty.
Could you tell us more about the projects already delivered and their impact on the jobs created?
Currently, the agropoles already set up host around 300 companies, which has generated 14,000 jobs, adding value and structuring the ecosystems that we target with our value proposition. These initiatives strengthen the dynamics of our sector.
The ambition of all key stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Agriculture as well as the CDG group, is to promote the international influence of our country in this sector and to strengthen its position on the world stage. We also aspire to amplify the benefits for the territories and ecosystems concerned in terms of value creation, wealth and jobs, in particular for young people and for the entire country.
Do you plan to launch any new projects?
Indeed, we plan to launch new projects, including the expansion of areas we have already developed. We are therefore planning to extend the Larache agropole, inaugurated in 2023 and currently being commercialized, by around fifty additional hectares.
We are also studying a project in the Marrakech-Safi region and another between Sidi Yahya and Sidi Slimane in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region. These projects, located near agricultural production areas, meet the need for proximity to raw resources, an essential criterion for the agri-food industry and for attracting businesses of all sizes.
Read also: Casanearshore: a new building will soon be built by MedZ
In this development approach, we work closely with the regions concerned, in particular with Souss-Massa and Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma, but also with Crédit Agricole. This partnership aims to integrate key players in territorial development and financing of the sector.
It is important to emphasize that these initiatives are aligned with the sustainable development strategy of the CDG group and its subsidiary MedZ, specialized in territorial development. Our projects integrate environmentally friendly practices and are committed to decarbonization. These dimensions are crucial to ensure the sustainability and influence of our activities, both on the local market and internationally.
By Hajar Kharroubi And Adil Gadrouz
05/04/2024 at 12:11 p.m.
