Morocco and France Strengthen Cooperation to Enhance Livestock Breeding and Agricultural Innovation
As part of its ongoing engagement with European partners to bolster its agricultural capabilities, Morocco and France have signed two new cooperation agreements aimed at supporting the resilience of the livestock sector and promoting innovation in sustainable agricultural practices. This was announced on the sidelines of the 34th Livestock Summit in Clermont-Ferrand, where Morocco is the guest of honor this year.
The first agreement brought together the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders in Morocco with their French counterparts, including the “Races Ovines des Massifs Sélection” association and the agricultural chambers of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Isère regions, attended by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, Ahmed Bouawari. This partnership focuses on improving the quality of local breeds and enhancing their resilience to climate change, as well as developing training programs and promoting local dairy products, particularly in northern Morocco.
The second agreement aims to expand institutional cooperation between the Agricultural Chamber of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and French agricultural chambers through joint projects that enhance the sustainable management of natural resources and support innovation in agricultural chains.
This collaboration renews an existing agreement that has been in place since 2015 and reflects the desire of both parties to transfer modern expertise and technologies to support sustainable agricultural development. The signing ceremony was attended by several Moroccan officials, including Mohamed Bouihyaoui, president of the Agricultural Chamber of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, and Mohamed Fekrat, chairman of the Board of the Moroccan Agricultural Credit Group.
Bouihyaoui emphasized that this cooperation will provide a new impetus for exchanging experiences between Moroccan and French professionals, noting that the upcoming International Agricultural Exhibition in Meknes, themed “Sustainable Livestock Farming,” will serve as an additional platform to strengthen this professional and scientific convergence.
Morocco’s prominent participation in the largest European livestock event reaffirms the Kingdom’s position as a key partner in the development of sustainable livestock production systems, particularly in light of the global climate challenges facing the sector.
The opening day of the summit saw the inauguration of the Moroccan pavilion showcasing the Kingdom’s experiences in agricultural development, alongside official meetings between Minister Ahmed Bouawari and several French officials, including Dominique Estrosi-Sasoon, chair of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Senate, and Fabien Boussois, prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
