Morocco and France strengthen their co-operation in the agricultural and food sector
Morocco was the guest of honour at the 61st edition of the International Agricultural Show in Paris, the first time this distinction has been awarded to a country.
After the inauguration of this major event on 23 February, Morocco's Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, and France's Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Annie Genevard, held a bilateral meeting in Paris.
During the meeting, the two ministers emphasised the excellent bilateral relations and the strength of agricultural cooperation between the two countries, and signed an agreement to strengthen training for Moroccan students in higher education in agronomy, veterinary science and forestry.
In gratitude for the invitation of honour to this International Show, Morocco will pay tribute to France at the next edition of the International Agricultural Show of Meknes (SIAM), to be held between 21 and 27 April this year.
Agricultural cooperation
Since the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco in November 2024, agricultural relations between France and Morocco have developed significantly, with the signing of a framework agreement in the agricultural and forestry sectors in the presence of King Mohammed VI. The agreement constitutes a strategic framework for achieving the objectives of sustainable development, food security and food sovereignty.
During their bilateral meeting, Ahmed El Bouari and Annie Genevard examined the main lines of cooperation in the agricultural and agri-food sector, placing special emphasis on priority areas such as vocational training, research, sanitary and phytosanitary safety, as well as the consolidation of relations between professionals in the sector.
Both ministers urged French and Moroccan professionals in the vegetable sector to strengthen their cooperation and dialogue in the face of common challenges, with a focus on strategic sectors such as oilseeds, livestock (sheep, cattle and milk) and the fruit and vegetable sector.
The two ministers concluded the meeting by signing an agreement on the organisation of internships and study trips to France for Moroccan students of agricultural, veterinary and forestry sciences, as well as for students of specialised technical institutes. The initiative, called ‘Opération stage 250’, aims to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the field of training.
This agreement, which also aims to promote the development and consolidation of exchanges and cooperation between educational and vocational training institutions in both countries, is part of the administrative cooperation agreement in the field of technical and vocational agricultural training and higher education in agronomy, veterinary science and forestry, signed in Paris on 1 March 2024.
AgriTech builds bridges between France and Morocco
On the sidelines of the Paris International Agricultural Show, the Digital Farm initiative and the Digital Hub of the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture sealed a partnership, key to strengthening Franco-Moroccan cooperation in the field of AgriTech. The objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiences in agricultural technologies, transfer of skills and know-how in this sector.
Signed by Morocco and France on 23 February, the partnership agreement seeks to foster dialogue and the promotion of joint projects, mobilising all stakeholders to boost innovation and expand the prospects for commercial development in both markets.
The two parties also committed to strengthening the visibility and integration of technology start-ups and suppliers in both Morocco and France.
In the words of Loubna El Mansouri, director of the Digital Hub at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, ‘the idea is to collaborate in agriculture, which nourishes us, and which is currently going through difficult times due to the lack of water and resources’. El Mansouri explained that ‘the objective is to produce more with fewer resources and to jointly explore the potential of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Big Data to transform agriculture’.
For her part, Justine Lipuma, vice-president of the Digital Farm, said that this agreement ‘aims to work on the feedback of experience and to be able to reflect together on two projects: one that will be presented at the International Agriculture Show in Morocco (SIAM) in Meknes and a second one at the annual Digital Farm conference’.
‘The aim is to launch specific projects in this partnership, in order to work together on the use of digital technology in agriculture for a more efficient and resilient agriculture,’ Lipuma added.
During the round table that brought together start-ups, institutional and inter-professional actors, researchers and experts from the public and private sectors of both countries around the theme ’AgriDigital: building bridges between France and Morocco’, Ahmed El Bouari indicated that Morocco is fully committed to this dynamic through the Green Generation Strategy 2020-2030, which places digitalisation at the centre of its priorities.
‘Our objective is to optimise the use of resources, improve product traceability and facilitate access to markets thanks to digital tools,’ added the minister, who explained that ‘by integrating these technologies, we aspire to improve the governance of our resources, water-land-energy, especially in a context of having to produce more with less and fewer resources’.
The exchanges that characterised the meeting between the two ministers focused on the strategic lines and initiatives on which France and Morocco could collaborate to further develop AgriDigital and promote more resilient agriculture. This commitment is part of a shared vision between the two countries that advocates for innovative, sustainable and resilient agriculture.
The proposed actions include the exchange and transfer of technologies and knowledge to improve agricultural practices and resource management; the development of training in AgriTech through the establishment of links between academic institutions in the two countries; improving access to funding for AgriTech start-ups and research; as well as promoting North-South and South-South cooperation in the field of Agridigital.