Lack of Irrigation Water Threatens Morocco’s 2022 Agriculture Campaign

Rabat – The scarcity of water for irrigation purposes is the primary challenge facing the current agriculture campaign, Morocco’s Agriculture Minister Mohammed Sadiki said on Monday.

While responding to MPs’ questions in a parliamentary session, Sadiki explained that water scarcity has been hindering the agriculture season since its start due to adverse weather conditions.

At the onset of the 2022 agriculture campaign, Morocco faced the worst drought in decades.

The severe drought and water shortage problems also coincided with international geopolitical instability, Sadiki noted.

To combat the drought and unstable global context Morocco’s agriculture ministry intervened to support farmers and consumers through implementing two strategies, Sadiki said. The government specifically introduced a series of measures to ensure that local markets remain well supplied, the minister added.

The government is also actively promoting the use of irrigation to encourage efficient and sustainable use of water resources through a number of national strategies, including the “Green Generation” strategy and the Green Morocco Plan (PMV), the minister said. All of these measures aim to optimize production input and offset water shortages.

Sadiki further argued that Morocco’s agriculture sector has entered a “new era” in terms of managing water resources and developing the necessary technology for water-efficient irrigation grids.

According to the minister, the measures are using technology to create a sustainable irrigation infrastructure within the agriculture sector.

Morocco has faced this year the worst drought in over 30 years, placing significant pressure on this year’s grain yields at a time when grain prices on the international market are reaching record-high levels.

Droughts are expected to become more frequent and more severe in the coming years as a result of climate change, raising the need for the North African country to accelerate the transition from traditional to modern modes of cultivation to secure its future food security.