Government’s Strategic Measures to Address Drought’s Impact on Agriculture and Fisheries: Minister El-Bouari’s Parliamentary Address

During the public session of the Moroccan Parliament held earlier this week, Minister Ahmed El-Bouari, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, presented a comprehensive overview of the government’s efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, particularly drought, which has had a significant impact on the agriculture and fisheries sectors in Morocco. The Minister discussed the major challenges the country has faced in recent years and the efforts the government has made to ensure the stability of essential food prices, as well as the emergency plan activated to cope with these exceptional circumstances.

The Minister emphasized the severe impact of drought on both the fisheries and agriculture sectors, noting that fish populations have been greatly affected due to water shortages in certain maritime regions. He highlighted several measures taken by the government to address this situation, such as supporting farmers and livestock breeders in coping with the crisis. He also mentioned an emergency program that was implemented, providing support for seeds and seedlings for essential crops like cereals, vegetables, and sugar beets. Additionally, he pointed out the suspension of import duties on meat, cattle, and livestock to ensure a steady supply in the local market, noting the importation of approximately 167,000 cattle and 96,000 sheep to address the shortage.

The Minister also touched on a range of economic measures adopted to face the crisis, such as suspending taxes on imports of red meat, as well as simplifying procedures for importing white meat, particularly poultry. He confirmed that these actions have helped ease pressure on the local market and led to a reduction in prices for certain products. Furthermore, he emphasized the need to encourage investment in the poultry sector by offering financial incentives and developing local industries, including industrial slaughterhouses and poultry production units, to add value to poultry products.

Minister El-Bouari noted that the government is continuing its efforts to boost investments in the agricultural and fisheries sectors by developing policies that ensure sustainable production and increase productivity. He also mentioned that meetings will be held with the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to discuss the price discrepancies between farmers and wholesale and retail markets.

source : fesnews media

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