Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Sadiki acknowledged that the country’s water situation is challenging, stressing that drinking water is currently a top priority.
The minister stressed that irrigated agriculture is important to the nation, but only after the needs for drinking water are met.
Sadiki made his remarks in a recent interview, where he said that the agricultural campaign showed promise in its early stages with early rains giving hope to farmers.
But the “current [level of] precipitation…is challenging,” he said, recalling the measures put in place to address the situation, including restrictions against the expansion of water-intensive crops like citrus fruits, avocados, and watermelons.
He said that Morocco is now favoring more drought-resistant products, including pistachios, carob trees, almonds, argan trees, olives, and date palms.
Concerns have been mounting about the expansion in production of water-thirsty crops. Despite the pledged measures, Morocco’s market has been witnessing an increase in avocado and watermelon produce for both exports and local consumption.
For instance, data from March 2023 showed that Morocco reached a new milestone in exporting water-intensive watermelon. The North African country reportedly overtook Italy to become the second largest supplier of watermelons in the European Union, second only to Spain, according to data from Eurostat.
The statistics shared last year came as Morocco’s government has been pledging restrictions against water-thirsty crops to mitigate the water scarcity challenges facing the country.
In April 2023, data from vegetable and fruit-orientated news website FreshPlaza said that Morocco’s avocado production hit an “almost” all-time record.
The statistics said Morocco’s production reached 40,000 tons in the previous agriculture season.
Sadiki emphasized Morocco’s commitment to address the situation, stressing that the implemented measures are a response to the “significant” decrease in precipitation and water reserves in dams.
He said that the situation has exacerbated the water deficit in irrigated regions, noting that the country has launched a close monitoring program to rationalize water use in irrigated areas.
In April 2023, a World Bank report pointed out farmers’ responsibility in the issue of the water crisis in Morocco, which stated that farmers “regularly disregard” public regulations on water management.
“Because they do not believe the state should restrict their use of water, and they believe none of their neighbors in the community are following the rules,” the report stressed.
The report also emphasized the importance of coming up with fresh solutions to tackle water stress challenges in the Middle East and North African region (MENA).
