Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco emerged as the leading exporter of canned sardines worldwide in 2022, Zakia Driouich, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Waters and Forests indicated.
The North African country has exported a total of 152,137 tonnes of canned sardines, with a value of around MAD 5.9 billion ($581 million).
“Due to its importance in terms of catches (64% of total catches), the sardine fishery occupies a very important position in Morocco’s fishing sector,” Driouich told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The economic importance of sardine fishing is not limited to catches, she noted, explaining that its significance extends to the processing activity, including canning and freezing.
In addition to its positive impact on the national economy, the fisheries industry creates various job opportunities, notably through coastal seiners, canneries, and other processing units.
Given Morocco’s large fisheries potential and the sector’s economic significance, the department of Maritime Fisheries has sought to increase the supply of canning units to further boost the industry.
Read also: Morocco’s Fisheries Landings on Increase in 2022
However, the fisheries sector faces various challenges due to the current global crises, such as high costs of fuel and raw materials, Driouich noted. Climate change, which could disturb the sustainability of fisheries resources and the biodiversity of marine ecosystems, remains a challenge that threatens the industry, she highlighted.
In the wake of these looming challenges, the Department of Maritime Fisheries has doubled efforts to preserve Morocco’s fisheries resources by implementing management plans, spatial planning of fisheries, and developing marine protected areas (MPAs).
Meanwhile, Driouich emphasized that the fisheries industry showed great resilience in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, explaining that the sector managed to maintain all its activities and recorded the lowest rate of business closures.
Moroccan canned sardine producer MIDAV indicated last year that Morocco produces half of all canned sardines available in supermarkets across the world.
Driouich’s statements come ahead of the 6th edition of the Halieotis fair, which will take place between February 1 and 5 in the Moroccan coastal city of Agadir.
The event was named after the Halieutis Plan, which King Mohammed VI launched in 2009 with the aim of improving aquaculture performance and management of the country’s fishery resources.
