Morocco Poised to Succeed in Agriculture: Spanish Minister

Morocco is on its way to succeed in agriculture, Spanish minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, Isabel García Tejerina, said Monday in Meknes.

The progress made by Morocco in the sector of agriculture is a "real success", Tejerina told reporters following talks with minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Aziz Akhannouch.

The Spanish official highlighted, in this regard, the achievements of Morocco's Green Plan, including the increase in production and exports of agricultural products as well as the contribution of agriculture to the country's GDP.

"I can only congratulate the Moroccan government on this success," she said, while expressing the wish of the Spanish government to further deepen its cooperation with Morocco in this field.

The Spanish Minister also stressed the importance of digitalisation as a key element for the development of agriculture in rural areas, noting that digitization will help connect rural regions with the rest of the world and offer many opportunities for exporting, entrepreneurship and developing business initiatives, she said.

Over the last decade, Morocco's agricultural gross domestic product has grown at an average annual rate of 7.3% to 125 billion dirhams, Akhannouch said at the opening of the 10th meeting on agriculture.

Morocco's Green Plan has enabled the agricultural sector to create over the period 2008-2018, more than 250,000 jobs, 50% of which were created between 2016 and 2017, he said.

Held under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, this meeting tackles the role of youth in agricultural development and the solutions provided by the Green Morocco Plan (PMV) for rural youth.

Organized since 2008 by the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forests, this event has established itself over the years as a reference meeting for the agricultural sector at the national and international levels.

MAP 24 April 2018