Morocco Has Made Agriculture Essential Part of Its Cooperation with African Countries, FM Says
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On May 7-9, Kenyan capital, Nairobi, hosted the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, which aimed to "to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture and to agree on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan as well as the Soils Initiative for Africa."
Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has made agriculture an essential part of its cooperation with African countries, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, stressed on Thursday.
The Kingdom, through the Sovereign's visits to several African countries "has made agriculture an essential part of its cooperation with African countries, whether through cooperation programs or the Royal Instructions given to [Moroccan phosphate and fertilizer producer] OCP to set up a special program for these countries", the minister said in a statement to the press, on the sidelines of the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, held in the Kenyan capital.
In this regard, Bourita noted that out of a concern for solidarity with African countries, His Majesty the King has given His High Instructions to the OCP to support the States of the African continent in this crucial period, marked by strong pressure on fertilizers.
He also underlined that the Sovereign had insisted that Morocco ensure a strong participation in this summit, considering the importance given to agriculture in the royal vision for South-South cooperation and for inter-African cooperation.
"Agriculture is not only linked to food security and sovereignty. It also plays a fundamental role in economic development, without forgetting that the future of Africa, as HM the King emphasizes, is linked to the development of its agriculture and rural areas," the minister noted.
Bourita also pointed to the structural problems affecting African agriculture, which were discussed at the summit, highlighting Morocco's response to these problems through the various programs launched by the King Mohammed VI, such as the "Green Morocco Plan" and "Generation Green," which are all experiences that can be used by African countries to develop their agriculture.
"The African continent, which currently concentrates 65% of the world's arable land, is home to over 200 million malnourished people. Similarly, Africa, where 65% of agricultural land suffers from low fertilizer use, uses less than half the average volume of fertilizer used worldwide. Finally, Africa's agricultural sector, which occupies 60% of the continent's land surface, contributes less than 14% to the continent's GDP," he stressed.
