The Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development held, Thursday in Rabat, a conference on “Food Value Chains between Morocco and Spain: Integration, Innovation, and Market Access.”
Enrique Ojeda Villa, Madrid’s ambassador to Rabat, said, “The agricultural-food sector represents a fundamental pillar of the economy and society of our two countries, and is witnessing continuous development that supports food security and enhances the position of the two countries at the international level.”
Ojeda added in his speech that the agricultural-food sector in Spain “is considered very competitive, as it represents about 20% of the gross domestic product, and generates approximately eighty billion euros in exports annually. It also contributes to providing good job opportunities, promotes innovation and social development, and maintains the sustainability of rural areas.”
He continued: “This sector represents a model of how tradition and innovation can advance together, and for Spain it is considered a strategic sector. It is also a platform for the integration of resources and knowledge between Morocco and Spain, which opens great horizons for joint opportunities in the fields of agricultural technologies, effective irrigation, food transfers and logistics.”
The Spanish diplomat stated that Morocco has great agricultural potential, a qualified workforce, and an attractive investment environment, which makes it the first destination for Spanish investments in Africa. Joint projects such as improving irrigation efficiency and building water management infrastructure, including the Casablanca desalination plant, contribute to strengthening agricultural cooperation between the two countries.
The Madrid ambassador to Rabat pointed out that the development of industrial zones designated for the agricultural-industrial sector “constitutes an area of great interest, as it contributes to attracting investments and creating thousands of job opportunities for the local population.”
Through cooperation between Morocco and Spain, according to the same spokesman, “export supply can be enhanced, new job opportunities can be created, and integrated trade strategies can be developed that benefit both countries.”
For his part, Ali Al-Seddiqi, Director General of the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency affiliated with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said that the meeting falls within efforts to activate “Morocco Export Now.”
Al-Seddiqi added that this offer includes several programs targeting many promising markets of interest to Moroccan exporters, pointing to academic cooperation to develop food industries in Morocco.
The spokesman stressed that Spanish-Moroccan cooperation in the field of food industries is “interconnected,” through export and import operations.
He added: “Our symposium today is being held in a special context characterized by rainfall in Morocco. We are talking about the agricultural-food sector, and here is the rain falling today. This symposium also comes in a context characterized by a sublime royal step; the initiative of King Mohammed VI, which enabled the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations Security Council that today strengthens the Moroccan proposal for autonomy in the Sahara, supports the full implementation of the Association Agreement between Morocco and the European Union, and gives a new dynamism to trade relations with the Union.” European Union, thus enhancing cooperation with Spain.”
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