Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 11:34 p.m.
Rabat – The meeting held Thursday in Rabat, under the chairmanship of the Head of Government, with professionals from the agricultural sector, was an opportunity to examine priority measures capable of containing the rise in prices of agricultural products, particularly meat. , affirmed the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki.
Among the measures presented are the reduction of production costs and the opening of markets for the importation of agricultural products, Mr. Sadiki told the press after this meeting. These initiatives will be implemented in an appropriate manner in order to protect local products, particularly the national livestock, while working for its reconstitution with a view to lowering prices for consumers and farmers.
The minister also noted that irrigated areas nationally fell from 1.8 million hectares to less than 400,000 hectares. Currently, water resources intended for irrigation do not exceed 700 million cubic meters, compared to 3.5 to 4 billion in normal seasons, he explained.
However, positive prospects are on the horizon for the current season thanks to recent rainfall recorded in certain provinces, which should improve the situation of groundwater and dam reservoirs, thus allowing the agricultural sector to regain its momentum. usual, underlined Mr. Sadiki.
For his part, the president of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development, Rachid Benali, indicated that the meeting made it possible to examine ways to lower the prices of agricultural products, including meat, and to mobilize the water resources for the next agricultural season, in accordance with the High Royal Directives relating to water management.
Mr. Benali also stressed that this meeting is part of the government’s ongoing efforts, in coordination with professionals, to remedy the problems affecting the agricultural sector. He recalled that the previous meeting, held in April 2023, resulted in concrete measures that contributed to the decline in prices of many agricultural products, despite the increase in prices globally.
In a similar statement, the president of the Federation of Chambers of Agriculture of Morocco, Habib Bentaleb, affirmed that the meeting discussed the means and measures necessary to ensure a regular, diversified and affordable supply of national markets with agricultural products, which These are vegetables, fruits or products of animal origin.
Related News :