Zakia Driouch, secretary-general of the fisheries department at the ministry of agriculture, maritime fisheries, rural development and water and forests in Morocco, received a delegation of businessmen and women from the Basque region on Monday March 15.
The delegation inquired about investment opportunities in Morocco in the fishing industry.
Maria Tato, president of the delegation, expressed the Basque Country’s desire to cooperate with Morocco in the sector of processing fishery products and that of recycling plastic from fishing.
Driouch underlined that the two parties can “quickly” develop their activities of recycling fishing waste. The new national fishing strategy is “in the process of being finalized,” she added. A strategy that heavily focuses on sustainability and the preservation of the environment.
“We are ready to establish an exchange of expertise between Morocco and the Basque Country” announced Driouch. She also evoked that fishing is one of the pillars of the Moroccan economy.
As part of its mission, the delegation will visit Laayoune and Dakhla to further explore the potential of these regions in the fishing and aquaculture industry.
Tato reported the delegation will meet with Moroccan businessmen and women as well as business owners, operating in the sector of processing fishery products, to discuss promising strategies.
Despite the pandemic, the Moroccan fishing exports and industry operated normally.
In April 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries announced in a statement that Moroccan markets experienced a surge in fishing activities.
The records show an increase in the production and a regular supply of fishing products between 2019 and 2020.
According to the same statement, exports were not affected despite prioritizing the national market.
Morocco has long been among the countries with the highest fishing production. In 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) ranked Morocco 13th in global fish production.
This ranking put Morocco at the head of the African continent, with 1.4 million tonnes of fish production, showing an ever-increasing growth in the industry.
Morocco World News