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Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco’s Agriculture Ministry has said that the country’s agri-food trade balance with the EU experienced an increase of more than € 1.9 billion last year.
In the past year, Morocco’s exports of agro-food products to the EU also reached a volume of more than two million tonnes, recording a growth by 33% compared to 2015, the ministry noted.
The North African country exported around two million tonnes of agri-food products to the EU during the first 11 months in 2020.
The ministry shared these statistics after Morocco and the EU held talks on Thursday to discuss means to develop their agriculture cooperation.
Nasser Bourita, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a virtual meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski as part of the commitment of both parties to continue to discuss the prospects of their cooperation in the field.
On Twitter, Wojciechowsky announced that he was “happy” to meet Morocco’s agriculture minister Aziz Akhannouch.
“Good exchange on bilateral relations, agreement on geographical indications, fruits, and vegetables market observatory, EU-Africa alliance and Pan European-Mediterranean Convention on rules of origin,” the official said.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the virtual meeting between Akhannouch and the EU official served as an opportunity for the two parties to congratulate each other on the quality of cooperation between the EU and Morocco.
The ministry said the partnership is marked by both parties’ strong commitment to strengthening their cooperation in all areas.
The ministry also shared updated figures about the EU-Morocco agriculture cooperation.
On its website, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced Morocco’s Green Plan, which contributes 19% of the GNP, with 15 from agriculture and 4% from agro-industry.
Morocco’s agriculture sector also employs more than four million rural inhabitants, creating 100,000 jobs in the country’s agro-food industry.
“This sector plays a substantial role in the macroeconomic balance of the country. It also plays an important social role as 80% of the 14 million rural inhabitants depend on the revenue from the agricultural sector,” the ministry said.
A 2018 report from Oxford Business Group said that agriculture remains a key contributor to Morocco’s economy. According to the report, the sector accounted for about 15% of Morocco’s GDN in 2016, and generated nearly 40% of employment and 10% of exports.
