National industrial sovereignty: 1.7 billion Dirhams of projects
New investment projects to strengthen national industrial sovereignty in strategic sectors are in the pipe. Thus, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, has just signed, this Wednesday, 13 investment agreements with industrialists in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. These agreements relate to a global investment exceeding 1.7 billion MAD (173 million USD) and generating more than 1,780 direct and 2,700 indirect jobs, as well as an additional turnover of more than 2.9 billion MAD, it is said. The lion´s share goes to the agribusiness sector with 10 agreements relating to the realization of construction projects for new units or extensions for a total cost of more than 1.2 billion Moroccan Dirhams. Spread over 5 regions of the country, «the 10 projects fall within the sectors of the citrus crushing and juice production industry, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery, pasta and couscous, fruit and vegetable processing, and the dairy industry.» In addition to the development and industrial processing of regional and national agricultural production into citrus fruits, milk, as well as fruit and vegetables, these investments in the agribusiness sector are part of the strategic priorities of substituting imports with local products that meet the needs of the national market in agri-food products, it is recalled.
One of these projects is the one to be carried out by the Berkane Juice Processing company (of the Zniber Group) which involved the establishment of a citrus crushing unit at the Berkane agropole. Another project is an industrial unit for the production of pasta and couscous whose promoter is the Moony Pasta company (Cap Holding Group). For the manufacturing of biscuit, chocolate, and confectionery products, the Fortune Maroc company plans to build an industrial platform for an investment exceeding 180 million MAD (18 million USD). The goal is to meet demand from the local market, part of which is imported, according to the management of the company.
Pharmaceutical sector
For the pharmaceutical sector, the agreements in question relate to 3 projects relating to the manufacturing of generic drugs for a total amount of approximately 530 million MADs (54 million USDs). Located in the regions of Casablanca and Rabat, «these projects involve the exclusive manufacture and packaging of sterile injectable drugs in pouches, the production of first generic drugs intended for the local market and for export, and the manufacture of concentrates for hemodialysis and the marketing of pharmaceutical products”. One of those projects involves the construction of a pharmaceutical unit in Oum Azza (region of Rabat) which will be carried out by the Amanys Pharma company. According to its Managing Director, Mohammed Skali , this unit will be dedicated to the exclusive manufacture and packaging of generic injectable hospital drugs which are currently imported by Morocco.
Noureddine EL AISSI
