Morocco takes new steps to protect the agricultural sector

07/12/2007

Morocco's agriculture ministry announces plans to help farmers contend with the effects of drought. The comprehensive effort for next season includes irrigation, crop diversification, mechanisation and financial assistance.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 07/12/07

[Sarah Touahri] Farmers are thankful for the rain they receive, but say the state needs to pay more attention to irrigation issues.

Agriculture in Morocco depends on the amount of annual rainfall. Now, after a particularly dry season where the cereal harvest was 66% lower than the five-year average, the government is implementing new measures for 2007-2008.

Agriculture Minister Aziz Akhenouch said a programme financed entirely by the agricultural development fund and the general budget will help combat the effects of drought. The cost: 400 million dirhams to purchase 400,000 tonnes of barley, corn, mixed feed and drinking water for some rural areas. According to the agriculture ministry’s communications department, farmers will benefit from state support for cereal seeds to the value of 115 DH/ 100 kg.

Crop diversification is also included in the agriculture programme. Four million olive trees and an additional half-million various fruit trees will be distributed.

Through subsidies of up to 60%, the agriculture ministry is continuing to grant aid for equipment to be used in water-saving irrigation systems.

Efforts to support mechanisation in this sector will also continue. The support has enabled a 42% rise in tractor sales this year and a 21% increase in autumn sowing and cultivation. Farmers will also benefit from reduced interest rates not exceeding 5.5% for investment credit and 5% for seasonal credit.

In another helpful move, the processing of farm debts will be taken over by Crédit Agricole, a company specialising in the financing of small-scale agriculture projects which are ineligible for traditional bank finance.

Despite the government initiative, some farmers are still unhappy. Abdelkébir Mouassaoui, a young farmer, said the State’s efforts must be stepped up to save the growing season. The recent rain has certainly done some good, he added, but it is still not enough. Mouassaoui argued that much more attention needs to be paid to irrigation from now on, since Morocco has a significant number of dams.

His colleague, El Mouden Barakat, said that recent years have proved very trying for the sector. "Morocco has imported 2,280 tonnes of cereals through October 15th. This is an alarming rise of 115.4% compared with 2006. So the national farming industry is finding it very difficult to reach its target regarding food security," he explained.

To improve understanding of the agriculture sector, the government wants to conduct studies. According to the agriculture ministry, they have achieved a "first" this year: the Hassan II fund just granted 25 million dirhams for a strategic study of agriculture.

"This is a clear signal, because never before has such an amount been released to fund a study in the sector," declared the agriculture minister.

The comprehensive analysis will help the country react if this season is marked by a continuation of the drought.