This national campaign, which will start in a few days, will target some 900,000 hives for an overall cost of 30 million dirhams, specified Mr. Baitas who answered, during a press briefing at the end of the meeting of the Council of government, to a question on the measures planned by the Executive to come to the aid of farmers affected by the phenomenon of the disappearance of bee colonies.
At the end of this operation, which will be piloted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, in collaboration with the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA), a second phase will begin with the objective of rebuilding the hives, in particular those infected.
At the same time, a training and supervision program for beekeepers will be set up for a budget of 150 million dirhams, said the Minister Delegate, adding that this program will be implemented according to a schedule precise and in strict compliance with the deadlines.
Last February, the first results of field visits carried out by teams from ONSSA’s provincial veterinary services, covering approximately 23,000 hives, revealed that this desertion of hives, the extent of which varies from one region to another, is an unprecedented phenomenon in the Kingdom.