2023-2024 crop year: The great challenge of water deficit
By happy coincidence, it rained the day before and the day of the official launch of the 2023-2024 crop year by the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fishing, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohamed Sadiki. The launch ceremony took place on Friday, October 20, in the commune of Sidi Mohammed Ben Rahal (35 km south of the town of Settat).
At the start of the ceremony, the Minister announced that «the launch of the crop year comes after a 2022-2023 season marked by a significant rainfall deficit and an irregular time distribution of rainfall», before adding that this situation had been compounded by the succession of drought years over the last five crop years and a situation characterized by higher input costs. It was good to be reminded of this in front of an audience (over 200 people), the vast majority of whom were small peasants awaiting the good news the Minister was about to announce, namely the measures his department has taken to ensure a successful 2023- 2024 crop year. Faced with challenges such as water scarcity and the high cost of agricultural inputs, and as part of its efforts to implement the Generation Green 2020- 2030 strategy, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken a series of measures, including the supply of production factors (seeds and fertilizers), the development of agricultural sectors, irrigation water management, agricultural insurance, and financing and support for farmers to ensure a successful crop year. In passing, the Minister noted that «an additional one million hectares of irrigation would have made it possible to exceed the 53 million quintals achieved during the previous crop year, to reach 75 to 80 million quintals», while expressing surprise at the fact that «the Chaouia region, the breadbasket of Morocco, with its fertile soils, has not yet benefited from an irrigated perimeter». This state of affairs remains inexplicable, especially as the region boasts no fewer than five dams, including the Al Massira dam, one of the largest in the country. In fact, the Minister in charge of the Department of Agriculture also pointed out that «a national program to supplement cereal irrigation has been launched to guarantee stable cereal production. The aim is to reach one million hectares by 2030, using 1.5 billion cubic meters of water resources».
Jamal Eddine HERRADI
