1,500 exhibitors from 70 countries enliven the Sahrij Souani square in Meknes, set up for this sixteenth edition of the International Agricultural Show of Morocco (SIAM), inaugurated this Monday by Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and which takes place from 22 to 28 April, under the theme: “Climate and Agriculture: for sustainable and resilient production systems”. If the country in the spotlight this year is Spain, other invited countries are also very prominent. This is the case of France, represented by 150 exhibitors and a strong government delegation led by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Safety, Marc Fesneau.
Coming to strengthen cooperation with the Shereef kingdom, the French official signed on Monday, with his Moroccan counterpart Mohammed Sadiki, a new road map governing the bilateral partnership in the fields of agriculture and the management of forest resources. Several agreements between French and Moroccan professionals were also signed, notably concerning seeds, meat, milk, small ruminants and oilseeds. At the institutional level, the two parties agreed on a project for a regional technical center dedicated to oilseeds in Morocco and inter-university agreements to promote research and teaching, particularly between the Hassan II agronomic and veterinary institute and the national research institute for agriculture, food and the environment of France.
This new cooperation will be financially supported by two credit agreements of 72.1 million euros signed between Crédit Agricole and the French Development Agency (AFD).
A matter of “ reciprocity » and of “complementarity”
“Agriculture is a pillar of the relationship between Morocco and France”declared on the social network “Africa’s largest agricultural exhibition”. “Reciprocity, complementarity and pooling are the keys to the new agricultural and forestry partnership that France and Morocco wish to build,” he explains in a press release, stressing that this renewed framework will allow better sharing of experiences and innovative solutions allowing the two countries to better transition towards sustainable food systems. “We need it more than ever in a context of multiple crises and accelerating climate change,” he added, emphasizing “the opportunity to meet and discuss with the Moroccan agricultural sector and the numerous ministers present on the continent’s agricultural issues” African. Indeed, in addition to the invited European countries whose list is completed by Romania and the Czech Republic, around fifteen African countries are participating in SIAM as guests of Morocco for this edition. Among them, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Benin, but also Niger, Libya, Eswatini, Gabon, Burundi and even Sudan.
23% of Moroccan agri-food on the French market
Between Morocco and France, agricultural cooperation dates back many decades and has intensified over time and works in both directions. According to official figures, Morocco exports no less than 23% of its agri-food to the French market. Between 2018 and 2022, these exports reached 1.2 billion, only for fruits and berries (mandarins, melons, avocados, etc.). France, for its part, transported nearly 2.7 million euros of edible vegetables, plants, roots and tubers to Morocco, while these figures were more than 812,000 euros in 2023 alone.
The new agricultural and forestry roadmap between Morocco and France is also a continuation of the cooperation arrangement in the field of technical and professional agricultural training and higher veterinary education signed in March during the visit to Paris of the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests.
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