Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this event which continues until July 7, is initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests and the Provincial Association of Caper Producers of Safi, in partnership with the prefecture of the province of Safi, the Chamber of Agriculture of Marrakech-Safi and the provincial and communal councils of Safi.
The opening ceremony of this National Fair took place in the presence of the Secretary General of the Prefecture of the Province of Safi, the President of the Chamber of Agriculture of Marrakech-Safi, elected officials and a delegation of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Built on an area of 3,200 m2, with 170 stands dedicated to the exhibition of more than 33 local products, this Fair aims to be an unmissable event for exchanges between the various players in the sector, in particular professionals and producers of capers, cooperatives, agro-industrialists, researchers and development agents.
This Fair, which is attended by nearly 160 cooperatives specializing in caper products and other local products from the 12 regions of the Kingdom, is part of a dynamic of promoting the caper sector aimed at highlighting the provincial identity of this crop and strengthening its position as a flagship product of the province of Safi and the Marrakech-Safi region.
On this occasion, the Minister and the accompanying delegation visited several exhibition spaces, including the institutional stand, the stands of the cooperatives of the different regions, before going to the space reserved for seminars on the results of research in the management, promotion and development of the caper industry in the context of climate change.
Thus, Mr. Sadiki inquired about the various achievements of the cooperatives in terms of promoting caper and local products.
Subsequently, the minister proceeded to present awards to 10 women who distinguished themselves by the quality of their work in the production and promotion of capers in the province of Safi.
He also chaired the operation of distributing agricultural equipment for pruning and maintaining caper crops as part of encouraging the creation of service cooperatives.
In a statement to the press on this occasion, Mr. Sadiki dwelt on the potential of this sector at the national level, with a total area estimated at 35,000 hectares, representing a total national production of more than 26,000 tonnes, noting that the province of Safi covers a very significant share of this production.
“The caper sector is promising and is experiencing continuous development in terms of the organization of producers at the local level within the framework of young and very dynamic cooperatives,” said the minister, emphasizing the efforts made to promote this sector, through the establishment of promotion units within the framework of the “Green Generation” strategy based on the approach of solidarity agriculture.
Mr. Sadiki added that this approach is likely to preserve this added value that can be beneficial for the population, stressing that the objective is to extend the area dedicated to this production at the regional level to reach 15,000 ha within the framework of the Regional Agricultural Program and the Provincial Program for Safi.
On another note, he highlighted the rich program of this new edition of the National Caper Fair with conferences and workshops dedicated to this sector, emphasizing the latest innovations and production and marketing techniques for this product.
“This crop is flexible and resilient to rainfall deficit and drought,” recalled the minister, noting that the “Green Generation” strategy is based on the development of the human element as a priority and on ecological agriculture capable of giving this sector a major priority.”
The caper industry is resilient to climate change and has a strong economic and social impact, creating around 4.5 million working days per year nationwide, including 1.5 million in the province of Safi.
The average production of capers on a national scale is estimated at more than 26,000 tonnes per year, of which around 9,000 tonnes are produced in the province of Safi, or 35% of national production.
Regarding caper exports, it should be noted that Morocco exports an average of 16,500 tonnes per year, including 7,600 tonnes from the province of Safi.
In the Marrakech-Safi region, caper cultivation is experiencing continuous development within the framework of the “Green Generation” strategy, through the implementation of solidarity agriculture projects for the benefit of small farmers in Bour.
As for the total area covered, it amounts to 8,600 ha, including 7,000 ha in the province of Safi. The extension of this area is planned to reach 15,000 ha by 2030.
2024-08-28 23:21:18