Professionals of Agriculture and Fisheries Sector Ensure Proper Running of Export Activities, Ministry

17 avril 2020 Printable Version

Rabat - Professionals in the agriculture and fisheries sector ensure the proper running of the 2019-2020 agricultural and maritime food products export campaign, while prioritizing supply of the national market and by following strict safety and hygiene measures in the packaging and processing units.

In the context of the state of health emergency decreed in several countries, notably in Morocco, to fight Covid-19, the agriculture and fisheries sector maintain its activities in the value chain of products from the production to the marketing, including exportation, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests in a press release.

Ensuring as a priority the sufficient and regular supply of the national market, the professionals of the agriculture and fisheries sector succeeded, thanks to a strong mobilization of all the stakeholders, to maintain the balance in the whole value chain, from production to putting products on the market, mainly on export markets, added the ministry, specifying that despite the specific context imposed by Covid-19, the export activities are maintained and taking place in good conditions.

As an example, the ministry noted that vegetable products exportation reached on April 14 a volume of around 876,000 tonnes, an increase of 3% compared to the previous season (848,900 tonnes).

Regarding red fruits, exports recorded strong growth during this season, with a volume of around 68,400 tonnes as of April 14, an increase of 27% compared to the previous season (54,000 tonnes), the press release said, adding that the export of watermelon posted a good performance, going from 5,900 tonnes to 11,900 tonnes while the melon experienced an improvement regarding exportation of +18%.

Citrus fruits fell by around 30% due to the decline in production for this season, the ministry noted, stressing, however, that the value of exports remained at a good level thanks to the good price performance on international markets.

For seafood, the volume exported during this season, as of April 14, is around 496,400 tonnes, against 481,200 tonnes during the same period of the previous season, recording a growth of 3%, the same source added.

As part of the health measures linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, exporters of agricultural and sea food products have adopted strict safety and health measures in their units, namely strengthening the staff's hygiene system in packaging and processing facilities, regular disinfection of premises and means of transport, temperature control of employees, providing staff with protective equipment (masks and gloves), as well as respecting the necessary safety distance to reduce the risk of contamination, concluded the press release.