On April 11, 2023, a delegation led by His Excellency, Mr Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forests of Morocco, visited the Marchouch Experimental station of INRA and ICARDA, Morocco. The delegation included the Governor of the Province of Khémisset, Director of INRA-Morocco, professionals, elected officials, and a large group of Ministry officials.
During the visit, the Minister was briefed about camelina, a new potential oil seed crop for Morocco, and conservation agriculture. He was shown camelina field trials at Marchouch experimental station of ICARDA and INRA, which were planted as a part of 4CEMED and CARINA projects. The Minister was impressed with the crop’s ability to adapt to prevailing drought conditions during the current cropping season and expressed keen interest in its potential as a new oil seed crop for Morocco.
The visit is expected to help popularize camelina and encourage farmers to consider it as a new crop. Disseminating information on camelina, crop diversification, crop rotations, and conservation agriculture to key policymakers, such as the Minister of Agriculture, would help co-create a set of policy recommendations to facilitate the acceptance of camelina at all levels, including primary producers.
Morocco currently imports 98% of the raw materials required for edible oil production, making it one of the world’s top 10 importers of edible oil. The Generation Green 2020-2030 plan aims to achieve 1 million ha of field crops under conservation agriculture and increase the area under oilseeds to cover 10% of the local market needs by 2030. The CARINA and 4CEMED projects align with Morocco’s Generation Green 2020-2030 plan and contribute to achieving its objectives.
The photograph shows His Excellency, Mr Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture of Morocco, visiting the camelina fields at ICARDA and INRA, along with the Governor of the Province of Khémisset, Director of INRA-Morocco, professionals, elected officials, and a large delegation of Ministry officials. Photo credit/source: The Ministry of Agriculture, Kingdom of Morocco.
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