Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat- The Regional Fair of Local Products has kicked off on Friday in Ouarzazate, the gateway to the desert, promoting both the region’s products and culture.
The second local products fair, themed “Local Products at the Service of Solidarity, Tourism, and Self-Employment,” is featuring several workshops to promote local products including honey, argan oil, and dates. The fair began today and ends October 15.
The region of Draa Tafilalet produces multiple date varieties, including majhoul or medjoul, anbara, and deglet noor.
The fair is exclusive to the Draa Tafilalet and Es Smara regions. Draa Tafilalet lies southeast of the High Atlas Mountains in the Sahara desert and Es Smara is in the northern part of Western Sahara. The fair is not only devoted to promoting local products but also energizing tourism and agriculture.
The event features various Moroccan folk performances, with music and dancing native to the region.
During the opening ceremony of the fair on Friday, the president of the Chamber of Agriculture of Draa-Tafilalet, Abdelkarim Ait El Hajj, said the fair will tour all the provinces of the region in the coming years.
“The third fair will be in one of the other remaining provinces, such as Zagoura, Midelt, and Tinghir,” said El Hajj. He added that the “door is open” for all investors, foreigners and Moroccans alike, to help develop the region.
According to El Hajj, the first fair of local products has had a positive impact on the Draa Tafilalet region, promoting tourism, culture, and agriculture, which serves the purpose of the Chamber of Agriculture.
The first fair took place in Errachidia in eastern Morocco in March 2017. The event’s theme was “The Enhancement of Local Products, a Lever for the Social and Solidarity Economy.”
Nearly 100 cooperatives, including 90 agricultural cooperatives, are participating in the event. The fair is also set to hold a conference to promote the local products, self-employment, and solidarity.
El Hajj noted the participation of women in the event, saying that 60 percent of the contributions to the fair are from women’s associations.
“The Chamber of Agriculture cares about the rural woman who plays a major role in the agricultural sector,” said El Hajj.
The fair is organized by the Chamber of Agriculture of the Draa-Tafilalet region in collaboration with the province of Ouarzazate, the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Areas and Argan, and the Regional Office for Agricultural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Culture.
One of Morocco’s most impressive monuments, the Kasbah of Taourirt, located in Ouarzazate, will also host several events linked to the fair, including musical shows. Field visits are also included in the event’s agenda.
