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Rabat — A newly signed agreement between Russia and Morocco aims to help Rabat diversity and strengthen its grain supply sources.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday, with the aim of boosting the North African country’s grain imports — particularly soft wheat.
Omar Yacoubi, president of the National Federation of Grain and Legume Traders, signed the agreement with Eduard Zernin, president of the Russian Union of Grain Exporters and Producers.
The union represents 37 Russian grain producers and exporters.
The main goal of the agreement is to convey mutual intention of both parties to engage in projects aimed at boosting Morocco’s grain supply.
The pact came into effect immediately upon signing, covering an initial term of one year.
“The parties, their representatives and their staff will meet regularly to discuss progress and plan future activities,” the signed document details, as reported by Le360. The memorandum stipulates that neither party is authorized to disclose information related to the commercial ties or business practices between the two without prior consent.
Either party can terminate the agreement by notifying the other in writing notice at least 90 days in advance.
In addition, this arrangement can also be extended if both parties agree.
Morocco is actively seeking to diversify its partnerships with global leaders in grain supply to tackle the challenges posed by climate change, particularly the ongoing drought and the growing demand for wheat.
The country has been facing a lack of rainfall resulting in a severe drought for the past six years.
Alongside these conditions, Morocco is experiencing extreme hot weather. Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius in the month of November.
The climate crisis has significantly impacted the country’s crops and domestic wheat production.
To combat this, Morocco has been exploring new avenues for agricultural security including a stable external supply of grains.
A recent report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization shows that Morocco is to become one of the world’s top six wheat importers this year, with imports expected to rise by 19% to reach 7.5 million tons.
The increase in imports is directly related to the reduction in local production, which is estimated to be 40% lower than the previous year. The national harvest projected to total just 2.5 million tons – well below the average.
Morocco has increasingly turned to Russia as a key supplier of wheat.
In November alone, Morocco imported 222,000 tons of wheat from Russia, a significant increase from the 119,000 tons during the same period last year.
