Morocco is a leading regional model for the transformation of agrifood systems, said, on Thursday in Rabat, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dongyu Qu.
Speaking at the opening of the 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC33), Qu noted that by focusing on modernization and diversification, Morocco had been able to achieve significant progress, including investment in modern irrigation systems, greenhouse cultivation and aquaculture, increased production of fruit and vegetables for domestic and export markets, and modernization of its olive oil production to become one of the world's leading producers.
In another vein, FAO DG referred to the "extraordinary" potential offered by Africa's youth, noting that achieving this requires strategic partnerships, greater investment and harnessing the power of digital technologies to boost the efficiency and productivity of Africa's agricultural sectors.
He added: "It is through the transformation of African agri-food systems that we can unlock food security and nutrition, economic, equality, environmental and resilience benefits".
For his part, Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, highlighted Morocco's dams experience, pointing out that the Kingdom has drawn up a policy in this regard whose development has been pursued under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.
With regard to the water issue, the latest investment announced over a 5-6 year period is in the region of 14 billion dollars, earmarked for drinking water and agriculture and including water desalination, conventional and non-conventional water linked to the dam policy, said Akhannouch.
In the same vein, he underlined Morocco's "very important" commitment to this resource, which is necessary for agriculture, and for which all means should be mobilized to ensure its financing.
The Head of Government also referred to the two strategies developed by Morocco in the agricultural sector, including the Green Morocco Plan, which involved restructuring the agricultural field, organizing and grouping players, increasing production and productivity, and putting investment at the center of the equation for the development of the agricultural sector.
