With the help of the Taounate Youth Orientation and Support Space, the Initiative sought to identify the added productive value of all the natural potential that characterizes the territorial space of the province, and to support a a number of varieties with significant productive value, such as aromatic and medicinal plants, figs, almonds, honey, crafts, fish farming, milk, wild hunting and salt.
As part of the “Improvement of income and economic inclusion of young people” program falling under the axis of support for the social and solidarity economy, the INDH has, between 2019 and 2023, supported 45 cooperatives, including 8 women’s cooperatives, for a financial cost of approximately 13 million dirhams (MDH), of which the INDH’s contribution amounted to approximately 7.66 MDH.
These projects were implemented for the benefit of agricultural cooperatives and project leaders through training sessions aimed at sharing the necessary expertise and experiences by specialists and professionals in the field of resource exploitation. local economies, the aim being to improve the quality of production, add value to products and facilitate their marketing, thereby contributing to increasing the capacity of the economic fabric in the province.
In this regard, a field diagnosis was prepared for each cooperative in order to analyze the internal and external environment linked to each project, to evaluate the specific project idea, to identify the financial needs of the cooperatives, to support and accompany the selected cooperatives, as well as provide support and technical assistance for the implementation of projects approved by the governance bodies.
In a statement to MAP, the head of the income improvement and economic inclusion of young people service in the province of Taounate, Noureddine El Bakkouri, indicated that the third phase of the INDH focused on supporting social and solidarity economy with the financing of 45 cooperatives, including 8 women’s cooperatives.
At the level of the province of Taounate, emphasis was placed on the value-added production chains of aromatic and medicinal plants, figs, capers, honey, almonds and the tourism sector, in addition to other sectors such as hunting, crafts, he said.
The cooperatives benefited from support before and after the support as well as several administrative and technical training, he said, noting that some of these cooperatives helped create employment opportunities for young people.
Among the pioneering cooperatives in the Taounate region which have benefited from the support and support of the INDH is the “Zahrat Achamal” cooperative in the commune of Galaz, which benefited from the project to create a production unit of bee hives as part of the income improvement and economic inclusion program for young people, under the axis of support for the social and solidarity economy.
This project, with a total cost of approximately 173,800 dirhams, to which the Initiative contributed 104,000 dirhams, is part of the development of the honey production sector in the province.
Among the important cooperatives in the province, the “Biojabalia” cooperative in Taounate benefited from the project to create a soap and cosmetics production unit, which aims to promote the medicinal and aromatic plants abounding in the province of Taounate in the compliance with health safety and international standards.
This project, whose total cost is estimated at 500,000 dirhams and to which the Initiative contributed 300,000 dirhams, aims to increase production in order to supply local, regional, national and international markets, and to improve the income of members. of the cooperative and to create employment opportunities.
Another notable example of the success of the INDH’s bet on supporting cooperative work, the “Al Wahda” cooperative project in the commune of Jbabra for the production of doum and sugar cane products, which is part of as part of the preservation of craftsmanship and its perpetuation through the training of apprentices.
This project, approved by the Provincial Committee for Human Development in December 2022 and with a total cost of 301,000 dirhams, to which the Initiative contributed 180,000 dirhams, includes two production workshops, a multidisciplinary room, a for exhibition and sale of the cooperative’s products, a warehouse for the supply of raw materials, a room for sorting and preparing raw materials, as well as other facilities.
The cooperative was granted access to a building in the form of a local products village belonging to the Ministry of Crafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, in order to use its facilities.