On this occasion, the Sovereign was given details on these projects which are designed notably to increase Morocco’s competitiveness in the field of olive oil production, reduce poverty in rural areas, create employment opportunities and protect the environmenet through a better managemet of water resources.

    The first project, worth 164 million dirhams, is carried out by Olea Capital Company in the rural commune of Lakrifat. It is meant to raise the quality of olive oil, and promote employment in the region.

     The second project, to cost 150 million dirhams, aims to promote olive tree cultivation in ten rural communes in the provinces of Béni Mellal and Azilal.

   Funded by the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA), this project, to be
completed in five years, aims notably to increase the annual olive oil production from 3,000 to 23,000 tons.

    The third project, worth 58.9 million dirhams, targets the creation of an olive grinding unit in the rural commune of Sidi Aissa.

    This project, with a 20-ton grinding capacity per a day, will benefit more than 600 farmers and will include a packaging and a bottling unit.

   These projects are part of Morocco’s green plan, which aims at developing a modern, high-performance and competitive agriculture.

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HM the King inquires about $118 mln project to develop irrigated agriculture in Oum Rabii area

Sidi Aissa - HM King Mohammed VI inquired on Saturday in the rural Commune of Sidi Aissa (central province of Fquih Ben Salah) about the Oum Rabii project which aims to substitute the gravity irrigation with the localized irrigation system at a total cost of some 977 million dirhams ($118 mln).

    On this occasion, HM the King was given details about this project which falls within the framework of Morocco's programme to boost agricultural production, dubbed "Green Morocco Plan", and the national programme to save irrigation water in Tadla region.

    This project, to be completed in 5 years, will benefit more than 2,400 farmers and will stretch over an area covering 10,235 hectares of irrigated lands. It is meant to develop a modern agriculture, create more employment opportunities and achieve a better management of water resources.

    By the same occasion, HM king Mohammed VI visited a pumping and fertilizing station which uses the localized irrigation system.