2024-04-24 11:22:21
Built this year on an area of more than 16,000 m², this center, which is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, via the Agency for Agricultural Development (ADA) , in close collaboration with the Regional Directorates of Agriculture and the SIAM Commission, houses more than 500 stands.
Moreover, the ADA continues to intensify its efforts to support groups, 100 of which are participating for the first time in this show to exhibit a multitude of products testifying to the riches of the Moroccan region.
And it is in this sense that Mahjouba Chkail, director of development of the marketing of local products within the ADA, indicated, in a statement to MAP on the sidelines of the 16th SIAM, that the support of the Agency aims to strengthen the internal organization of these groups and improve the quality of their products, in addition to helping them open up to new markets.
This approach, she argued, makes it possible, among other things, to guarantee a stable source of income for these cooperatives and their families, making it known that one of the main missions of the ADA is the marketing of local products to national and international levels. A mission which is in line with the agricultural strategies of the Kingdom (Plan Maroc Vert “PMV” 2008-2020 and “Génération Green” 2020-2030).
Ms. Chkail also highlighted that the ADA plays a key role through the numerous upgrading programs intended to strengthen and support cooperatives, including training, communication and labeling programs.
Present on site, Mohamed Ammach, president of an Economic Interest Group (EIG) for the marketing of couscous in Boujdour, confides that the role of the ADA and the Ministry of Agriculture is decisive in supporting its ambitious project, which currently benefits 51 people, 85% of whom are women.
“Our ambition is to further improve the group’s daily production and the income of the women working within our cooperative, in addition to modernizing our flagship product, couscous, and contributing to Morocco’s food sovereignty,” he said. -he says.
In a similar statement, Hassan Bachkaka, president of the “Arij Al Ghaba” cooperative specializing in the production of medicinal herbs in the Marrakech-Safi region, praised the efforts of the Agency, particularly in terms of marketing their products.
“Our cooperative, founded in 2017, benefited from the support of the ADA, which greatly helped us to market our products in several large stores and international trade fairs,” he indicated, specifying that “Arij Al Ghaba” has now 70 people, compared to only 5 at the start.
And to continue that the cooperative has started collaboration with commercial stores and extended its support to new cooperatives in terms of marketing and labeling.
“Local products” center: particular attention paid to groups from the Al Haouz region
This year, the “Local Products” division, which sees the participation of nearly 800 cooperatives and more than 16,500 producers, including 8,000 women, is paying particular attention to groups from areas affected by the Al Haouz earthquake.
These groups represent 10% of all participating cooperatives, or 45 groups in total. Also, 25 production sectors from the twelve regions of the Kingdom are present during this edition, with no less than 5,000 items, which confirms the tremendous efforts made by these producers to ensure a qualitative and diversified offer, while promoting and safeguarding a ancestral know-how.
This center reflects the undeniable results achieved thanks to the unwavering commitment of the Department of Agriculture since the advent of the PMV and in the wake of “Generation Green” to support and support the local products sector.
Of the 3,900 producer groups of local products identified in Morocco, more than 2,331 groups representing nearly 50,000 producers have benefited from various actions and support programs, namely, solidarity agricultural projects dedicated to local products, the construction of nearly 369 recovery units, the equipment of 845 units and the labeling of 80 products (AOP, IGP, LA).
It also involves strengthening the capacities of 1,453 producer groups, thanks to upgrading programs, allowing them to adapt to market requirements and obtaining health authorization for the benefit of 934 groups. .
Local products: marketing, a major axis
Thanks to the ambitious development strategy for the marketing of local products, promotion and marketing were the main areas targeted to ensure the sustainability of income for producers of local products, particularly for rural women and young people.
Several actions were combined and allowed more than 332 groups access to modern marketing circuits, 1,369 groups participated in regional and national fairs, 354 in international fairs and 200 groups were able to access electronic marketing thanks to the platform “www.terroirdumaroc.gov.ma”.
In the same spirit of strengthening the notoriety of these products, a collective label “Terroir du Maroc” was set up and no less than 274 groups have been able to obtain it to date for more than 1,188 products.
The ADA also focused on programming, at a sustained pace, promotional and commercial campaigns through a multitude of animation actions at the level of large and medium-sized stores and specialized points of sale, in addition to promotional campaigns. 360° communication in order to carry out the strong desire of the Department of Agriculture to make local products one of the most promising sectors of the agricultural sector.
All these programs for the benefit of cooperatives and local product groups have mobilized nearly 11.7 billion dirhams since the advent of PMV to date, including nearly 11 billion dirhams for solidarity agriculture projects and infrastructure. development, and 700 million dirhams for promotion and marketing support actions.
These colossal efforts have had extremely positive impacts on the development of the local products sector in Morocco and the improvement of the living conditions of the beneficiaries.
Indeed, the quality and traceability of products have seen a clear improvement, the packaging and presentation of products, as well as the managerial skills of cooperatives have recorded exceptional progress, which has had very positive repercussions on the increase in sales thus making it possible to double turnover and net margin and increase the jobs created by more than 40%.
2024-04-24 11:22:21