Regulating agriculture among Morocco's priorities of the year, minister

The agriculture sector will be among Morocco's top priorities this year, said Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, who indicated that special agencies will be set up to this end.

    The program called "Plan Maroc Vert" (Green Morocco) has already been launched and various actions initiated in this context are to be completed soon, he stressed.

                                   
    Touching on the specialized agencies, Akhannouch mentioned the Agency for Agricultural Development, which will be in charge of devising and carrying out an agricultural development strategy. Such a body, he explained, will work to identify and manage large-scale projects, and encourage investments.

    The Agency will have judicial, economic and financial prerogatives to accomplish its mission, the minister pointed out.

     The Moroccan official also mentioned the setting up of "l'Office national de la securité sanitaire des aliments" (ONSSA) which will be in charge of ensuring food sanitary safety, and protecting the consumer.
 
    The "Green Morocco Plan" is a pragmatic and ambitious program aimed at achieving a sustained agricultural development at the national level.

    Morocco has decided to allocate up to $ 2 bln per annum to this program, under which 700 to 900 projects will be carried out annually. It also provides for bankrolling up to 400 social projects, promoting high value-added activities and combating poverty through improving agriculture workers' revenues.

MAP