1,462 farmers, 150 cooperatives, one record harvest — and the fourth season hasn't started yet. Production in Al Hoceima’s legal cannabis chain jumped nearly 48 percent in a single year. Behind the numbers: 1,462 licensed farmers, 150 cooperatives, and a new processing unit built to take the chain beyond raw harvest.
The legal cannabis chain in Al Hoceima started with 60 quintals in 2023 — the year Law 13.21 on the lawful uses of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes came into force. In 2024, that figure rose to 1,900 quintals. Last year, it reached 2,804 quintals of dried cannabis, according to figures from the Regional Directorate of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities. That is a jump of 47.57 percent in a single year — and nearly 47 times the output of the chain’s first season.
The 2025 harvest covered 844 hectares — 774 hectares of the local “Beldia” variety and 70 hectares of an imported variety — worked by 1,311 farmers organized across 139 cooperatives. The total number of licensed farmers reached 1,462, spread across 150 cooperatives, with 1,504 licenses issued in all. To support the chain, ANRAC’s regional directorate held more than 90 meetings and accompanied more than 1,400 farmers through the season.
All indicators point to this season’s production being a record. The Beldia seeds have been planted — they are in wide demand on global markets because their derivatives are used in medicine and cosmetics.
— Mohamed El Khayati, President, Ahl Dahssi Productive Cooperative · Statement to MAP
What is growing on the ground
Mohamed El Khayati, president of the Ahl Dahssi Productive Cooperative in the Beni Jmil Mastassa commune, said the agency’s support — from planting through harvest, drying, and storage — helped the chain clear every obstacle it faced, whether in the field or in the market. Production follows strict health and technical standards: soil analysis to determine the type and quantity of natural fertilizer, monitoring of Beldia seed growth, and verification that crops are free of toxic substances. El Khayati expects farmers to achieve returns that will improve their economic situation.
A processing unit takes shape
Mohamed El Harfi, president of the Khairat Senhaja cooperative in the Targuist commune, pointed to a different kind of milestone. His cooperative — founded three years ago, working alongside ten other productive cooperatives across 50 hectares of Beldia and Roumia varieties — completed construction of a processing unit in the Beni Boufrah commune. The unit was built with support from the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity and ANRAC, with the aim of strengthening the province’s industrial base, encouraging investment, creating jobs, and developing a high-quality chain that can reach national and international markets.
As the fourth season gets underway, farmers and cooperative leaders say they are counting on the momentum to continue — and on the chain to keep opening doors to national and international markets through high-quality, high-value products.
- Source: 24SAA