Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mina Elkhodari
Published on 2024-04-17 16:59:00
Morocco has been experiencing severe drought in recent years, impacting the filling rate of dams intended for irrigation, despite the recent beneficial rains. In addition to the pressure on drinking water supply, this situation is affecting agricultural yields where irrigation water needs are estimated at more than 5,000 km3/year.
This reality has worsened due to delayed rains in the past season, leading to a 31% decrease in the total area planted with autumn and winter crops, representing 2.5 million hectares compared to 4 million in a normal period, especially for autumn cereals. This was highlighted by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, during his speech to the House of Councillors.
In this regard, Sadiki expressed optimism about improved yields following the rains recorded in the past weeks. “These beneficial rains should save the upcoming crops,” he said, noting that the rainfall level recorded so far has reached 224 mm, a decrease of 27 mm compared to a normal year and an improvement of 9% compared to last year over the same period.
Better yields are expected for crops grown in regions with significant rainfall in recent weeks, especially in the provinces of Fes Saiss, Loukkos, and the Gharb region.
The cultivated area for forage crops is 470,000 ha, while that of food crops has reached 109,000 ha. The area cultivated for sugar crops is 22,000 ha, a 42% decrease from the expected average, due to lack of irrigation capacity in the Doukkala and Tadla regions.
Regarding autumn and winter vegetables, the minister indicated that the cultivated and irrigated areas amount to 90,000 ha, 90% of the expected average, including 57,000 ha of winter vegetables.
Spring crops in general (chickpeas, corn, sunflowers) have recovered thanks to recent precipitation. The cultivated area has reached 112,000 ha, more than 70% of the planned program three weeks before completion. The expected yield from these areas will meet the national market needs during the summer season.
Agricultural support is provided by the state for the purchase of production factors, including seeds, fertilizers, and fodder. According to the minister, 672,000 quintals of subsidized seeds at 50 and 70% of the purchase price have been distributed, benefiting 18,000 producers across various regions of the Kingdom.
This has helped reduce production costs and the impact of water deficit on the agricultural sector, with the aim of preserving the country’s food security. In a context of fluctuating international raw material prices, Morocco has invested 2.2 billion dirhams to support the import of nitrogen fertilizers. As a result, nearly 1.3 million quintals of these fertilizers have been distributed, especially in irrigated areas.
The recent rains in several regions of the Kingdom have greatly benefited water reserves for agricultural activity. As a result, the dam filling rate has reached 31% compared to 32% recorded during the same period last year, totaling 4.3 billion m3. The water allocation for irrigation in major irrigation circles does not exceed 680 million m3, with 300 million mobilized since January 2024.
Read the original article(French) on L’Opinion
