King Mohammed VI presided, on Thursday in the province of Chtouka Ait Baha, the launch of the new development strategy for the agricultural sector dubbed «Green Generation 2020-2030». Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Waters and Forests Aziz Akhannouch presented before the Sovereign the broad lines of the new strategies «Green Generation 2020-2030» and «Forests of Morocco». This strategy is based on capitalizing on the achievements made by the Green Morocco Plan. The new program provides for the consolidation of agricultural sectors, with a view to increasing exports (50 to 60 bln MAD) and the agricultural GDP (200 to 250 billion MAD) by 2030, improving the distribution processes of products through the modernization of 12 wholesale and traditional markets, said Akhannouch. It also aims at improving the quality and capacity of innovation, noted Akhannouch, adding that approvals will be granted to 120 modern slaughterhouses and health control will be reinforced. The implementation of this strategy will require an annual increase in the budget of the sector of almost 2.5% as of the year 2020, said the Minister. On the new strategy on the water and forest sector «Forests of Morocco», Akhannouch stressed the importance of forests which stretch over a surface area estimated at 9 million ha, and their environmental, economic and social role. He affirmed that the Moroccan forest is in a dilapidated state, due notably to the deterioration of 17,000 ha of forest land every year, the low enhancement of cork oak forests, the over-harvesting in firewood and over-exploitation of grazing areas. To strengthen the competitiveness of the sector and ensure its modernization, the new water and forest strategy was developed on the basis of an integrated, sustainable and wealth-generating management model. This new strategy aims to make forests a space for development. It plans by 2030, to repopulate 133,000 ha of forests and to create 27,500 additional direct jobs, in addition to improving the incomes of the production chains and ecotourism to reach an annual market value of 5 billion MAD. This strategy also provides for the development and enhancement of ten national parks, with a view to ensuring economic and social development with full respect for the natural, cultural and territorial heritage. These two new strategies will be implemented starting 2020.
