With agriculture accounting for approximately 15% and 20% of GDP, the Moroccan agricultural sector opens a market of opportunities to foreign investors, especially for Spanish companies because of their geographical proximity.
The SIAM (International Agricultural Exhibition), which this year includes 15 Spanish companies grouped in the pavilion of the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and other independent companies that are already installed in Morocco, has become a prominent stage for finding business opportunities and new markets for Spanish distributors.
“This is a business opportunity to be seized,” said the president of the Community of Murcia, Ramón Luis Valcárcel, who, on Wednesday, visited the fair in which a number of companies from Murcia are participating.
Valcarcel said that, “Morocco is a growing country with an extraordinary potential future and it is a neighbouring country with which we have an understanding and want to continue having it.”
He added that, “we have increased exports to Morocco almost fivefold in the last five years. Murcia’s exports to Morocco totalled 400 million Euro in 2012, when we had approximately between 60 to 70 million five years before.”
In this eighth edition the show hosts, until April 28, 51 countries and 920 exhibitors and Spanish companies specializing in olive treatment, seeds, fertilizers, wiring, machinery and agricultural technology in general.
Spanish company SHAL has been going to SIAM for five years and, according to Ignacio Fernández de la Calle, managing director, “the Moroccan market is relatively booming and we benefit from the fact that it is near Spain”.
“We try to recover abroad what we lose in sales nationwide and Morocco is one of our best customers,” he says.
In turn, Ahmed Touizi, president of the regional council of the city of Marrakesh, said that, “Morocco’s agricultural sector has an enormous potential and Spain’s experience is extremely important. This cooperation mutually benefits us. ”
Coinciding with the SIAM the Moroccan Minister for agriculture and fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, announced yesterday promising figures result of the Green Morocco Plan, an ambitious agricultural modernization project in the country, which has allowed the agricultural GDP to grow an average of 32% in the 2008-12 period (in comparison to 2005-07).
This plan, which began in 2008, has also led to a 43% growth of agricultural production in general in the 2011-12 period when compared to 2005/2007.
According to Touizi, although there are many Spanish companies operating in Morocco that are engaged in agricultural production, exporting and processing, the Green Morocco Plan represents a huge market for Spain especially because of the good relations between both countries.
In purely commercial terms, Spain has had a spectacular growth in recent years, being Morocco’s first partner in terms of both imports and exports, it now replaces France – the North African country’s traditional main partner.
