Marruecos: el reto mundial de la agricultura sostenible

After three years in the dry dock due to the pandemic, the 15th edition of the International Agricultural Show in Morocco opened with renewed energy to debate the path that the sector that feeds us must take and to show the latest trends to produce better and more sustainable food.

More than 1,400 exhibitors from all over the world, but mainly from the African continent, gathered in the city of Meknes under the slogan "Green generation, for sustainable food sovereignty".

The President of the Moroccan government, Aziz Akhannouch, attended the international event, where at least 19 agreements were signed between the government and professional associations worth 11 billion euros over the next ten years, between government contributions and private investment. 

The agreements coming out of the International Agricultural Show involve various sectors such as dairy, red meat, poultry and beekeeping in the animal sector; but also oilseed products, citrus fruits, pulses, red fruits and many others in the vegetable sector.

Among the Spanish companies present at this international event are Greenfield Technologies from Badajoz, which helps farms to become more competitive and sustainable; Unirain from Seville, which helps companies with irrigation techniques and equipment; and Granada Coating, which offers solutions and technologies aimed at protecting and improving the germination and vigour of seeds.

Joseph de la Torre, sales manager of Granada Coating, affirmed that "Morocco has great agricultural potential especially in certain products such as onion, watermelon and melon, products where improvements can be made when sowing and when it comes to making crops profitable". "We have decided to come to Meknes to show our products and our technologies and to see if we can collaborate with local companies to make the crops more profitable and obtain better yields", he added.

For his part, Sergio Mondéjar, manager of Meli mushrooms based in Cuenca, pointed to Morocco as one of his objectives for international expansion. The head of Meli, a company created by his grandfather, indicated that he intends to take advantage of the experience acquired and collaborate with a local partner because he sees many possibilities of creating a Moroccan product that can then be exported.

A new feature of the 15th edition of the agricultural event is the creation of a specific start-up space to tackle the challenges posed by new ways of exploiting agricultural resources and the use of technology, such as the use of drones to monitor crops.

In almost all the forums, drought is a point of concern, so efficient irrigation solutions are attracting the attention of the farmers who have come to Meknes from all regions of the country.

The Moroccan authorities want agriculture to play a more important role in the country's economy, a sector that currently accounts for 14% of GDP.