Morocco has perfected plans to have better access to European markets. To this end, it has created a logistics platform, Morocco Foodex, in Poland.
The agency which is under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water, and Forests, is a food export control and coordination organization. It is dedicated to the service of the Agri-food and maritime products sector, one of the levers of the country’s economic growth.
The food export sector is evolving in an international environment marked by increased competition and ever higher technical and commercial requirements.
With the vision and goal of meeting the regulatory requirements dictated by the globalisation of markets, the establishment continuously ensures a quality service combining: impartiality, rigor, reliability, facilitation, anticipation and high professionalism.
As a public body at the service of the private sector, its intervention covers: Fresh fruit and vegetables (citrus fruits, tomatoes, red fruits, avocados and other market garden products); processed vegetable products (canned, dried or frozen fruit and vegetables, olive oil, argan oil, cereals, pulses, spices, herbs, etc.); and fishery products (fresh fish, canned fish, etc.).
It was gathered that the initiative was unveiled in a recent webinar in which European representatives of the large distribution also participated.
At the request of Morocco Foodex, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) support developing a certification aimed at communicating to the European market the key sustainability aspects related to fresh Moroccan products.
With the support of the European Union (EU), the two organisations are already working together to promote the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the Moroccan horticultural sector, in partnership with the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture.
In the webinar, Director of Promotion and Development at Morocco FoodEx, El Mehdi El Alami, stated: “We are looking for export opportunities for fresh Moroccan products, which comply with the strictest environmental and social standards that the EU recognizes and demands.
‘’We work with farmers, exporters, distributors, regulators, consumer groups, the EBRD and FAO, among others, to ensure the competitiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of our fresh products.”
Head of cooperation of the European delegation in Morocco, Jean-Christophe Filori, said “the ‘Farm to table’ strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal, which aims to make food systems fair, healthy, and respectful with the environment. The Moroccan agri-food industry will be able to exploit this potential if it continues to respect international quality standards, particularly those of the European markets.”
For the Principal Banker of EBRD, Othman Tlemcani,”Moroccan fresh produce producers have increased the weight of their investments in sustainability issues and this sector has enough potential for added value, so we are happy to support this promising direction of the Moroccan horticultural sector,” .
FAO and EBRD support
In their interventions, FAO and EBRD have also supported the Green Generation 2020-2030, characterised by a new vision of the Moroccan agricultural sector, which promotes sustainability, agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and the economic inclusion of young people from rural zones.
According to both organisations, this strategy promotes the adoption of new technologies that can improve the efficiency of agricultural production and water use.
