London – International think-tank Oxford Business Group (OBG) highlighted, in a recent analysis, efforts made by Morocco to strengthen the cultivation, distribution and sale of agricultural commodities in order to spur greater domestic production and hedge against further price volatility.
Given the impact rising commodity prices have had elsewhere in North Africa, Morocco has taken a number of steps to ensure that basic living costs are kept within reach of the most vulnerable segments of the population, including an innovative portal that seeks to provide some transparency on bulk and retail prices, the OBG said.
Asaar, which is Arabic for “prices”, is an online database that aims to limit speculation on local food prices, the OBG noted, adding that the initiative was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and allows public access to the prices for a wide range of products, ranging from fruits to vegetables to cereals and meat.
Given the prominent place Morocco’s agricultural sector occupies in the country’s economy, boosting production has also been a focus for the government, the think-tank said, adding that currently, agricultural cultivation, husbandry, fishing and processing contributes up to 19% of GDP and is a major job creator, employing approximately 42% of the general working population, and as many as 80% of people in rural areas.
As a result, the OBG went on, the country has sought to dramatically revitalise the sector with a comprehensive overhaul, spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Green Morocco Plan (Plan Maroc Vert, PMV).
Launched in 2008, the plan is targeting a significant increase in production volumes as well as an improvement in the sector’s socioeconomic returns, particularly in terms of poverty reduction, employment and GDP contribution.
Oxford Business Group is a global publishing and consultancy company producing annual investment and economic reports on more than 30 countries. Every business intelligence report is based on in-country research conducted over an average of six months by experienced analysts.
