Statement by the Royal Office

Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:

“HM King Mohammed VI, may Bless him, received the head of government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, on Wednesday at the royal house in Bouznika.

This audience is part of HM the King’s High Royal Concern for the rural community and all aspects of the agricultural sector, particularly at a time when the agricultural season is suffering from a severe lack of rain. So far, the national average rainfall has only reached 75 mm, a 64 percent decrease from a normal season. This climatic and hydric state has a significant impact on the agricultural campaign’s progress, particularly the fall crops and pasture supply.

The Sovereign emphasized the importance of the administration taking all required emergency steps to deal with the impact of the rainfall shortfall on the agricultural sector, in the hopes that God will pour his mercy on our land and fill it with good rains.

The extraordinary program devised by the government in response to the proactive Royal High Directions in this respect intends to mitigate the impacts of the delayed rainfall, alleviate the burden on agricultural activities, and provide support to the afflicted farmers and herders.

His Majesty the King has given the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development high instructions to contribute 3 billion dirhams to this program, which will require a budget of 10 billion dirhams.

This program focuses on three main aspects:

– The first deals with the protection of animal and plant capital and the management of water scarcity;

– The second aspect concerns agricultural insurance;

– The third relates to the reduction of financial burdens on farmers and professionals, the financing of operations to supply the national market in wheat and fodder, in addition to the funding of innovative investments in the field of irrigation”.