The royal follow-up of the Green Morocco plan's different projects testifies to HM the King's concern to boost the agriculture sector's development and modernization, rationalize its management to take up the challenges of competitiveness and food security, increase production, create jobs and improve farmers' income.

    The sovereign was given details on the three-year milk collection project, which benefits over 3,600 farmers and cattle breeders from Oujda Angad, Berkane, Nador, Taourirte, Jerada, Deriouch and Guercif.

    The project is aimed at increasing the number of farmers to 3,900 and step up annual milk production to 3,300 litres per cow by 2012. It also seeks to bring annual milk production from a current 69.3 million to 84 million litres, and raise the sector's value added from 251 to 308 million dirhams.

    This project also aims to increase the number of milk collection centres to reach 72 centres and generate 5,080 jobs by 2012. It touches on bovine genetic improvement through importing 3,000 cows and carrying out 10,000 artificial inseminations.

    It forecasts boosting the capacity of the Oujda milk cooperative to 200,000 litres by 2012, besides the technical supervision of farmers and cattle breeders.

    On this occasion, HM the King handed milk production equipments, worth over 727,000 dirhams, to several cooperatives.