Lhe strengthening of cooperation in the fields of agriculture and fisheries was the focus of talks, this Monday in Rabat, between the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki, and Japan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Arata Takebe.
During this meeting, which is part of the strengthening of cooperation relations between Morocco and Japan, the two officials examined several issues relating to the development of agricultural and fisheries trade as well as the prospects for the development of cooperation in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary, irrigation and hydro-agricultural infrastructure, the development of agricultural value chains and rural development, as well as in the areas of scientific research and training.
A “very fruitful” meeting
This bilateral meeting also aims to examine the possibility of developing tripartite cooperation with African countries in the agricultural, fisheries and agro-industry sectors.
In a statement to the press at the end of this meeting, Mohamed Sadiki stressed that this meeting was intended as an opportunity to address the various subjects of common interest and subjects which will be the subject of cooperation within the framework of the strategies “ Generation-Green”, “Forêts du Maroc 2020-2030” and “Halieutis”, noting that this interview had been “very fruitful” on all the plans.
The main topics on which the two parties will focus in the future will relate to water saving, the use of modern technologies for rational water consumption and the development of sectors, he said. , recalling the importance of other issues relating to Japanese investments initiated in the kingdom in different sectors and the opening of Japanese markets for Moroccan products, in particular citrus fruits.
Sea fishing relations between the two countries date back more than 40 years, in particular with the fishing agreement still in force since 1985. Cooperation has focused in particular on the areas of fisheries research and training, construction of fishing villages, as well as the provision of experts to support the implementation of projects.
In the agricultural field, cooperation has been marked by an important dynamic over the past two decades, characterized by the implementation of several programs and projects relating in particular to the aspects of agricultural training, agricultural advice and hydro-agricultural development.
Agricultural trade between Morocco and Japan amounts on average to 200 million dirhams, with a predominance of Moroccan exports which are around 180 million dirhams annually and mainly include coriander seeds, frozen strawberries, seaweed and thyme. The main agricultural import from Japan is green tea.
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