Fez — Morocco celebrated the International Day of Argania yesterday, celebrating five years since the United Nations recognized the argan tree as a global symbol of heritage, sustainability, and rural resilience.
The UN General Assembly, in a resolution led by Morocco, proclaimed May 10 the International Day of Argania in 2021. The resolution was co-sponsored by 113 UN member states and adopted by consensus, placing Morocco’s endemic argan tree on the international calendar.
Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, marked the anniversary with a public address linking the tree to climate action and human heritage.
“Today, we celebrate 5 years since the historic recognition by the United Nations of the International Day of the Argan Tree,” Hilale said. “The Argan Tree, a treasure of Morocco and heritage of humanity, embodies a concrete solution to climate and water challenges. Morocco will continue to champion this ambition in the service of a more sustainable and united future.”
“Happy 5th anniversary of the International Day of the Argan Tree,” he concluded.
A Moroccan tree with global recognition
The argan tree grows mainly in southwestern Morocco, especially between the Atlantic coast and the Atlas Mountains. It has long supported rural communities through food, oil, animal feed, shade, soil protection, and income generation.
The tree also carries several layers of international recognition. UNESCO designated the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in 1998, and in 2014 added “practices and know-how concerning the argan tree” to its intangible cultural heritage list. FAO also recognized the argan-based agro-sylvo-pastoral system in the Ait Souab-Ait Mansour area as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018.
This recognition reflects more than the global popularity of argan oil. It points to a fully integrated ecosystem in which people, trees, animals, traditional knowledge, and markets are closely connected.
FAO has described the argan tree as important for food security, nutrition, income generation, and rural livelihoods, especially for women. The organization has also highlighted its role in drought-prone areas, where communities have built production systems around trees that can survive heat and arid conditions.
A key sector for Morocco
Morocco remains the center of global argan production. The sector is rooted in the country’s Indigenous knowledge and women-led cooperative work, with more than 830,000 hectares of argan forests recognized as part of the UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Argan oil production has become one of Morocco’s most visible rural industries. It supplies both food and cosmetics markets, with demand coming from Europe, North America, and the global beauty industry.
In 2020, Morocco’s annual argan oil production was estimated at about 5,000 tons, while exports exceeded 1,200 tons by the end of that year. The sector was also reported to generate nearly MAD 1.2 billion (approximately $131 million) in annual turnover and support more than 25,500 jobs.
More recent market estimates place Morocco’s annual argan oil production between 2,500 and 4,000 metric tons, with a large share exported to European and North American markets.
