The fish farming sector is an important sector for the socio-economic development of oasian areas in Morocco. The date palm industry has made significant progress in recent years and saw a production increase of 149,000 tons between 2020 and 2021 compared to the 2008-09 crop year, an increase of 66%.
This sector is part of the green morocco plan and is celebrated this year at the international exhibition in morocco (SIDATTES), which opened its doors in Erfoud this Thursday for the 11th edition under the theme “Integrated Natural Resource Management: For the Sustainability and Resilience of the Oasian Ecosystem” and will run until October 30, after a two-year shutdown following the pandemic.
For Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, this event plays a crucial role in the structuring of the date palm industry at the national level, adding that he has notably known, This year, a diversification in international experiences by welcoming 9 foreign countries as well as the participation of many date producers and all stakeholders in the sector.
“Date palm is a secular culture in Morocco and a lever for the socio-economic development of Moroccan oases,” the Ministry’s note said.
He goes on to say that the area of farmland devoted to date palm has increased significantly by almost 63,000 ha in 2020-21, or 26% in recent years, ahead of a 50,000 ha area recorded in 2008-09. The same source also points out that the national palm grove currently has about 6 million feet of date palm following the planting of 3 million additional plants, since 2008. In addition, date production in the 2020-2021 crop year has increased with this planting, averaging 149,000 tons, an increase of 66% over the 2008-2009 season.
At the same time, Sadiki praised the great efforts made by the producers, who were able to contribute to the production of dates reaching an annual volume of nearly 150,000 tons. However, the minister deplores the current situation in the Kingdom, which is facing an unprecedented extreme drought this year, which could slow down the rate of production by lowering it nationally between 115,000 and 120,000 tons.