Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture Aziz Akhannouch said that the negotiations between Morocco and the EU also included talks on protecting “solidarity farming” to improve the income of small and medium farmers in rural areas.
Akhannouch said on Monday in Rabat that the negotiations had aimed to improve market access conditions for productive and competitive agriculture, “one of the pillars of national exports.”
Quoted by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), Akhannouch said that in terms of exports, the parties agreed to liberalize trade restrictions on all but seven agriculture products, including tomatoes and clementines. Olive oil is one product that the deal will liberalize.
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For imports, products will be divided into three categories. The first category is products that will be directly liberalized while the second category includes products that will be liberalized over a period of five years. The third category is for products that will be liberalized over a period of 10 years, including cotton, rice, and chocolate.
Akhannouch also commented on the fisheries agreement, the negotiations between Morocco and the EU resulted in the signing of the fisheries agreement on January 14. Akhannouch added that the agreement will enter into force after its adoption by the Moroccan and European Parliaments.
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Akhannouch said that the agricutre agreement confirms the commitment of the EU to a “strategic, solid and balanced agreement” with Morocco.
He also said that the vote that the agriculture agreement received in the EU Parliament ends the “maneuvers that have relatively disrupted progress in the agreement.”
The agreement received 444 votes in its favor on January 16. The deal extends the agriculture trade between Morocco and the EU.
