Vicente Farach: "Our objective is to increase investment in Morocco by Spanish companies"

The Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region generates great investment attraction and Morocco promoted the area in the event "Doing Business in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima" which was held in the auditorium of the Port Authority of Valencia.

The "Doing Business" meeting came to the Valencian city after having passed through Casablanca, Barcelona and Seville and various personalities, public officials and businessmen detailed the great investment opportunities offered by the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region for all Spanish and Valencian businessmen interested in investing in the area. 

Atalayar had the opportunity to talk to Vicente Farach, advisor to the Council of the Chambers of Commerce of the Valencian Community and Honorary Consul of Morocco, with whom he reviewed the excellent relations that the Moroccan kingdom has with Spain and discussed the investment attractiveness of the North African country and the northern region in particular. 

Vicente Farach, Councillor of the Council of Chambers of Commerce of the Valencian Community, you are Honorary Consul of Morocco.

I have a royal appointment, a position that continues until my death. I was appointed Consul for the Valencian Community in 1996, thanks to King Hassan II. 

You have the cooperation between Spain and Morocco very much at heart, and, above all, with reasons and arguments to be able to put it forward.

I have worked a lot since 1985, and later, when I was appointed, in the fishing sector, building freezer ships, Spanish battleships and companies for deep-sea fishing, mainly in the cephalopod sector. I have been involved in the management of four-star hotels in Marrakech and Agadir and in the agricultural sector working with the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture. 

Mr Farach, this type of event, such as the one we have attended here in Valencia, contributes to a better knowledge of Spain and Morocco, especially at a business and institutional level. How necessary are they?

These events are a first step towards rapprochement. For our part, the aim is to establish links and connections that go beyond the commercial aspect. We must not overlap the administrations. We must work together, because we need complementarity to move forward. And this is a step that must be taken from the employers' associations to the Moroccan Chambers of Commerce.

In your experience, which sectors are the ones that collaborate most with Morocco? 

All of them. Mostly in the automobile sector, but also in the auxiliary sector, in the agricultural and food sectors, where there is also a lot of movement; and also in services. We are 14 kilometres away, from Tarifa to Tangiers. It is only 14 kilometres between the two countries. We have to make that effort, and I think we are going to achieve it.

In terms of logistics, the port of Valencia is growing in very important proportions. In the Mediterranean, we also have Tangier Med, Motril, Algeciras, Barcelona... Are there great opportunities for development and collaboration?

Yes, there is an option, but it has grown a lot. Tangier Med is the first port in the Mediterranean. 

Valencia has also become a great port, but the problem is that in ports, the one who decides the direction of the port is the shipowner. It is up to him whether he comes or not. For this, you have to look at the entry tariffs of each port because, with the growth of the region, the tariffs vary regularly. And let's hope that this will continue to be the case.

But one of the focal points of Spanish-Moroccan collaboration would be the creation of a Mediterranean corridor starting from Andalusia, which would be fundamental for the development of Africa and, therefore, of Morocco and, in this case, the Valencian Community.

Regarding what you have witnessed about the event, especially the facilities offered by the Regional Investment Centre in terms of bureaucracy, paperwork, procedures, investments... Have you been convinced by Morocco's facilities?

Yes, they have convinced me. They are very prepared in all aspects, technological and IT as well. We can provide them with other things to go together. The Regional Investment Centre is a state entity supervised by Morocco, but we are Chambers of Commerce. The Spanish chambers of commerce are public law bodies, which assist the administration.

It is in our interest to intensify our dealings with the Chambers of Commerce, and the CRI is an important tool for our contribution. Although in Spain we also have the IVAPE, in the Valencian Community, the ICEX? We have to join forces to work in both directions.

Because there is also the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Tangiers.

Yes, there is the Chamber of Commerce. Our objective is to increase investment in Morocco by Spanish companies, but also to encourage reverse investment and the creation of joint ventures or partnerships, which is what is needed. We have been working on this objective for many years. What we get from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce are trade missions, which deal with the marketing of products. My work is based, in particular, on the creation of joint ventures and investments.

Now, with the organisation of the 2030 World Cup by Morocco, Spain and Portugal, are many possibilities opening up, or did they already exist before?

Yes, at least in my case, I have already had contacts with Tangiers. Tangier is the city that will host the Africa Cup of Nations in 2025. We are going to try to be in the Africa Cup of Nations, which is what concerns us. 

What would you say to a businessman who is considering going to Morocco?

He should call us. He should call us and we will accompany him. And we will help him, if the businessman can make the numbers work. But he should call us, we are here to help him.