Agriculture in Morocco
Encyclopedia
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Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, and other cereals can be raised without irrigation. On the Atlantic coast, where there are extensive plains, olives, citrus fruits, and wine grapes are grown, largely with water supplied by artesian wells. Morocco also produces a significant amount of illicit hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
, much of which is shipped to Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
. Livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
are raised and forests yield cork, cabinet wood, and building materials. Part of the maritime population fishes for its livelihood. Agadir
Agadir
Agadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, Essaouira
Essaouira
Mogador redirects here, for the hamlet in Surrey see Mogador, Surrey.Essaouira is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. Since the 16th century, the city has also been known by its Portuguese name of Mogador or Mogadore...
, El Jadida
El Jadida
El Jadida is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida. It has a population of 144,440...
, and Larache
Larache
Larache is an important harbour town in the region Tanger-Tétouan in northern Morocco. It was founded in the 7th century when a group of Muslim soldiers from Arabia extended their camp at Lixus onto the south bank of the Loukkos River.In 1471, the Portuguese settlers from Asilah and Tangier drove...
are among the important fishing harbors.
Moroccan agricultural production also consists of orange, tomatoes, potatoes, olives, and olive oil. High quality agricultural products are usually exported to Europe. Morocco produces enough food for domestic consumption except for grains, sugar, coffee and tea. More than 40% of Morocco's consumption of grains and flour is imported from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Agriculture industry in Morocco enjoys a complete tax exemption. Many Moroccan critics say that rich farmers and large agricultural companies are taking too much benefit of not paying the taxes, and that poor farmers are struggling with high costs and are getting very poor support from the state.
Main products
Below is a table of the agricultural output of Morocco according to estimates of the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation, data is from 2009:| Rank | Commodity | Value (Int $1000) | Production (MT) | Quantity world rank | Value world rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheat | 939,150 | 6,400,000 | 19 | 17 |
| 2 | Indigenous Chicken Meat | 635,889 | 446,424 | NA | NA |
| 3 | Olives | 616,541 | 770,000 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | Tomatoes | 480,433 | 1,300,000 | 17 | 17 |
| 5 | Indigenous Cattle Meat | 433,257 | 160,384 | NA | NA |
| 6 | Cow milk, whole, fresh | 409,566 | 1,750,000 | NA | NA |
| 7 | Barley | 389,709 | 3,800,000 | 12 | 7 |
| 8 | Indigenous Sheep Meat | 325,935 | 119,706 | NA | NA |
| 9 | Almonds, with shell | 307,240 | 104,115 | 5 | 5 |
| 10 | Oranges | 231,910 | 1,200,000 | 14 | 14 |
| 11 | Potatoes | 230,032 | 1,500,000 | NA | NA |
| 12 | Hen eggs, in shell | 221,668 | 267,267 | NA | NA |
| 13 | String beans | 173,716 | 182,180 | 3 | 3 |
| 14 | Grapes | 171,485 | 300,000 | NA | NA |
| 15 | Apples | 169,166 | 400,000 | NA | NA |
| 16 | Strawberries | 168,627 | 124,239 | 11 | 11 |
| 17 | Onions, dry | 136,521 | 650,000 | 23 | 23 |
| 18 | Other melons (inc.cantaloupes) | 134,386 | 730,000 | 8 | 8 |
| 19 | Tangerines, mandarins, clem. | 128,945 | 522,000 | 12 | 12 |
| 20 | Anise, badian, fennel, corian. | 127,126 | 23,000 | 7 | 7 |
| Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2009 data: http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx |
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Reform
The agricultural sector suffers from deep structural problems; it remains very sensitive toclimatic fluctuations and to the pressures of trade liberalisation. This sector accounts for
approximately 15% of GDP and occupies almost half of the population. What is more, 70 %
of the poor live in rural areas, which results in a massive rural exodus towards the cities or the
EU (often illegal emigration). The reform of the sector is not only essential in itself but is
unavoidable because of the deadline for the liberalisation of agricultural trade with the EU. To be able to profit fully from this liberalisation Morocco will have to improve the health and plant health situation. The issue of what is effectively a water subsidy to promote the cultivation of cereals
in unfavourable areas will also need to be tackled.
Land
Morocco is endowed with numerous exploitable resources. With approximately 33,000 square miles (85,000 square km) of arable land (one-seventh of which can be irrigated) and its generally temperate Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, Morocco’s agricultural potential is matched by few other Arab or African countries. It is one of the few Arab countries that has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. In a normal year Morocco produces two-thirds of the grains (chiefly wheat, barley, and corn [maize]) needed for domestic consumption. The country exports citrus fruits and early vegetables to the European market; its wine industry is developed, and production of commercial crops (cotton, sugarcane, sugar beets, and sunflowers) is expanding. Newer crops such as tea, tobacco, and soybeans have passed the experimental stage, the fertile Gharb plain being favourable for their cultivation. The country is actively developing its irrigation potential that ultimately will irrigate more than 2500000 acres (10,117.2 km²).
Drought
Nevertheless, the danger of drought is ever present. Especially at risk are the cereal-growing lowlands, which are subject to considerable variation in annual precipitation. On average, drought occurs in Morocco every third year, creating a volatility in agricultural production that is the main constraint on expansion in the sector.Hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
, the resin from Cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. According to the World Customs Organization, Morocco supplies 70 percent of the European hashish market. Although statistics vary widely, hashish production is estimated to be 2,000 metric tons per year, with up to 85,000 hectares devoted to cannabis production, with a market value of $2 billion. In the mid-1990s, due to record rainfalls following drought years, European experts reported that the area under cultivation for cannabis increased by almost 10 percent (the average hectare of cannabis produces two to eight metric tons of raw plant). The rains of late 1995 and 1996 were a blessing for Morocco, ending a multi-year drought. Those same rains were also a boon to the drug trade. In Tangier, this meant more jobs in the drug trade for those who could find no other work, particularly as the agricultural trade dried up with the drought. Today, the drug trade continues to grow, with areas used for cultivation spreading beyond the traditional growing areas of the central Rif to the west and south in provinces including Chefchaouen, Larache and Taounate. This growth continues despite a well-publicized campaign in 1990s to eradicate drug trafficking.