MOROCCO – Morocco’s Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) has allocated a staggering MAD 3.6 billion (USD 355.4 million) for agricultural investment in 2023, marking a substantial 38% increase compared to previous averages under the Green Morocco Plan.
According to converging reports, the ADF is allocating 70% of its funds to farmers cultivating plots under 10 hectares.
This year’s investment budget is 7% less than last year’s budget and encompasses a wide range of agricultural investments. 56% or MAD 1.8 billion (USD 177.7 million) of said funds are dedicated to localized irrigation and complementary irrigation.
The fund allocated 12% or MAD 432 million ($42.6 million) towards animal production, and 9% or MAD 324 million (USD 31.9 million) for farm equipment.
The elevation in subsidy amounts provided by the Agricultural Development Fund, marking a 38% increase compared to the Green Morocco Plan’’s average support of 2.5 billion dirhams, highlights a commitment to furthering direct aid within the agricultural sector.
The Green Morocco Plan is a governmental strategy launched in 2008 to stimulate the agricultural sector in Morocco.
The plan aims to reform agriculture and promote its integration in the international market and heighten sustainable growth. It has placed the attraction of investment for the benefit of the agricultural sector at the core of this strategy.
Additionally, the plan aims to modernize and improve the country’s agricultural sector with a view to promoting sustainable practices and reducing poverty in rural areas.
Since its inception, the program has directed MAD 15 billion (USD 1.48 billion) towards direct aid.
Yet a recent survey by the Moroccan Center for Citizenship found that an overwhelming majority of Moroccans are not satisfied with Morocco’s Green Plan, with many arguing that it has failed to achieve desired outcomes.
In fact, more than 80% of the survey’s participants said that the plan has failed to improve living conditions in rural areas and enhance food security in the country, while 75.1% said it has failed to provide additional water resources.
Agriculture makes up 13% of Morocco’s national GDP and engages more than a third of the country’s active workforce, making it a pivotal sector in the national economy.
Its socio-economic impact, however, is much larger, as it provides about 38% of national employment and nearly 74% of jobs in rural areas.
However, water scarcity and desertification have become challenges to agricultural activity in many regions of the country.
Thankfully, The Green Morocco Plan (Plan Maroc Vert, PMV) and cooperatives have helped increase the amount of value added for the processing of agricultural goods and made a deep impact on value chains and employment making the sector a valuable avenue for growth.
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