The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of Gharb (ORMVA), and attended by stakeholders from the various agricultural sectors, comes in the wake of the implementation of the High Royal Instructions relating to the program of assistance and support for populations affected by the recent floods. It also forms part of a field visit carried out by the minister to the Gharb and Loukkos perimeters, which fall respectively under the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra and Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima.
During the meeting, emphasis was placed on the resumption of agricultural activities in the affected areas, the rehabilitation of hydro-agricultural infrastructure, support for impacted farmers and the protection of livestock, in order to restore the normal functioning of farms as quickly as possible.
In a statement to the press, the Regional Director of Agriculture for Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Mahjoub Lahrach, said that the meeting provided an opportunity to review the support program for farmers in the affected provinces, namely Kenitra, Sidi Kacem and Sidi Slimane. He added that the program for restoring hydro-agricultural infrastructure was also presented, including rural roads, pumping stations, as well as irrigation and water drainage networks.
Lahrach further indicated that this support, amounting to 300 million dirhams, concerns the Gharb and Loukkos regions and includes assistance in seeds and fertilizers, as well as support for farmers affected by the floods in order to enable an effective resumption of crops while taking into account the specific characteristics of the affected areas.
Regarding livestock farming, he noted that the ORMVA of Gharb has launched an operation to distribute barley and compound feed to breeders, which will continue over the coming months.
For his part, Hassan Askkour, president of the Gharb Association for Sustainable Agricultural Development, stressed that the meeting allowed farmers and professionals to submit proposals and to be informed about the emergency measures already implemented or planned in order to mitigate the impact of this disaster on production and on farms.
He also noted that the sector is now facing the challenge of managing water abundance after a period marked by drought, expressing the mobilization of civil society associations to contribute to supporting farmers.
In implementation of the High Royal Instructions, the government is deploying a program of assistance and support for populations affected by the recent floods. This program aims to support impacted farmers through the launch of a spring crop program adapted to the specific characteristics of the affected regions, including oilseed, cereal and forage crops, with support for the purchase of seeds and fertilizers in order to accelerate the recovery of the agricultural season.
With regard to support for affected breeders, the operation to distribute barley and compound feed is continuing, along with strengthened sanitary control of livestock through the mobilization of veterinary services to ensure consultations, treatment and the necessary preventive interventions, with the aim of protecting animal health and guaranteeing the continuity of milk and meat production.
Concerning the rehabilitation of hydro-agricultural infrastructure, an intervention program has been adopted that includes dredging and sanitation operations, the repair of pumping stations and agricultural roads in order to guarantee the continuity of irrigation.
In the Gharb, the areas affected by the floods amount to nearly 85,000 hectares, while 20,000 hectares were impacted in the Loukkos. These areas mainly concern cereal crops, sugar crops, barley and legumes, in addition to fruit trees. Livestock activities were also affected by the floods, which caused damage to hydro-agricultural infrastructure.
Editorial team/le7tv