Morocco is experiencing droughts which affect the country’s agriculture and livestock farming. The government met with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as the main companies in the sector, to find solutions to mitigate the effects of the drought.
The meeting was attended by a number of important officials and representatives from different sectors, including the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Faouzi Lekjaa, the general treasurer of the Kingdom, Noureddine Bensouda, le director of state domains, Mohamed El Kharmoudi, the director general of the customs and indirect taxes administration, Abdellatif Amrani,e president of the executive council of Crédit Agricole du Maroc, Mohamed Fikrat, the director general of the National Food Safety Office, Abdallah Janati, as well as representatives of the agricultural world and professionals in the sector.
The main themes discussed were the promotion of productive services and the guarantee of supply.
Other measures focused on protecting wildlife, rebuilding livestock, improving agricultural inputs and strengthening resilience to climate change.
Animal sectors (red meat, milk and poultry) and vegetable (olives, citrus fruits, date palms, legumes, early vegetables, sugar, rice, seeds and cereals) were the subject of discussions in order to maintain their balance.
These measures, in addition to encouraging and supporting agriculture, are also presented as animal protection measures.
Government plans to invest in strategy “Green Generation” to support the reduction of agricultural prices without affecting the purchasing power of citizens.
Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said the government would continue to promote significant investments to improve the agricultural sector and deal with the effects of drought, by taking measures to restore the balance of production.
The executive will ensure that urgent measures are implemented to reduce the prices of agricultural products and maintain the purchasing power of citizens, as well as to ensure constant and sufficient supplies in domestic markets.
Aziz Akhannouch stressed the need to invest significant sums to modernize the agricultural sector and ensure Morocco’s food self-sufficiency, with funding of more than 110 billion dirhams over 10 years, of which 42 billion dirhams were allocated to the Agricultural Development Fund.
Like many countries in the Mediterranean basin, Morocco faces problems linked to drought. In addition to supporting farmers, the North African country has become a leader in water treatment, with the construction of 36 desalination plants on the Atlantic coast by 2026, the construction of highways in water under the National Hydrological Plan to better redistribute water resources, and efficient irrigation systems managed by artificial intelligence that help the Kingdom to save large quantities of water in its fierce struggle to stem the effects of drought.
