2023-11-28 16:05:54
Moroccan fishermen demand a framework contract from their government. They remember that this activity provides more than 8% of the country’s total exports and contributes to almost 35% of food exports. Landings amounted to more than 1.5 million tons of fish in 2022, of which 89% are pelagic, that is, 1.3 million tons.
“It is the southern regions (former Spanish Sahara) that take the lead and represent 81% of the volume of landings. But the sector is slow to take off and operators are still waiting for a program contract with the State,” reports Le360.
“Morocco has the necessary assets to allow the transformation into a product with high added value. The growth potential of the sector is real if we consider the strong demand for fishing products, the geographical position of the country and the characteristics of its fishing resources. The challenges of growing the sector are equally important when we consider the turnover and the number of jobs linked to the sector. Despite the existence of a sectoral strategy, our federation has been systematically hidden,” says Hassan Sentissi, president of the National Federation of Fisheries Products Processing Industries (FENIP). An observation corroborated by numerous studies, which have demonstrated the potential of transforming industries and also recommend giving priority to the development of high added value activities, adds the digital.
“Despite the growth in national catches of 15.2% in the last five years, or 2% of global catches, the production system remains unproductive. The catches are insufficient to satisfy the demand of the processing industries. For FENIP, Moroccan production would benefit from a better valuation, encouraging the local manufacturing of products with high added value.”
The weaknesses of the sector are mainly due to the irregular supply of raw materials and the quality of the products supplied to the processing industries. Basic infrastructure throughout the entire value chain must be optimized and adapted to international technological advances. Morocco also lacks an aggressive commercial strategy to promote its products in foreign markets.
“The Moroccan label suffers from a lack of notoriety and domestic demand remains very weak. Innovation and new product development are very low. The lack of communication and collaboration with the control authority continues to be an obstacle,” criticizes the FENIP. These challenges are surmountable, since there are several development levers. They can be activated to stimulate the growth of the fishing sector. It involves, in particular, the establishment of a specific program contract for the sector, which offers a clear and legible framework for supporting interested parties, she concludes.
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