Ahmed El-Bawari: Over 650 Agricultural Processing Units in Rural Areas Received Support from the Agricultural Development Fund
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, Ahmed El-Bawari, confirmed that the ministry has implemented a range of measures to establish and upgrade agricultural processing units in rural areas. More than 650 units have benefited from financial assistance provided through the Agricultural Development Fund between 2008 and 2024, amounting to over 686 million dirhams, most of which is allocated to rural regions.
In response to written inquiries regarding the “absence of agricultural processing units in rural areas,” El-Bawari explained that these measures include the establishment and equipping of 1,378 processing units specifically for cooperatives and economic interest groups, including 808 units under the Green Morocco Plan and 570 units as part of the Green Generation strategy.
The minister emphasized the importance the ministry places on enhancing local products and improving their marketing, reflecting the “diversity and production potential” of the kingdom. Various projects and programs have been implemented to support producers and improve the quality and quantity of their products, ensuring they meet market standards for quality and health safety.
These initiatives involve the construction and preparation of production units, the acquisition of modern processing equipment, and support for solidarity agriculture for small producers, youth, and rural women, strengthening the national processing capacity of the food industries.
The programs also include the establishment of clusters and platforms for enhancing, showcasing, and marketing local products, as well as providing technical, managerial, and commercial training for producers. Efforts have been made to support coding and labeling processes to reduce production costs and enhance consumer confidence, alongside adopting e-marketing through an agreement with the Moroccan Post Group and launching a digital platform targeting as many local producers as possible.
El-Bawari confirmed that these initiatives contribute to “strengthening the production fabric in rural areas” and enhancing the competitiveness of national agricultural products in local and national markets, in line with the aspirations for sustainable rural development.
