Moroccan agriculture is shaken by climatic hazards

Morocco's agricultural sector, contributing to 12% of the country's GDP and 30% of its jobs, saw exports valued at 42 billion dirhams (4 billion euros) in 2024, with the European Union, especially France, being the primary market. However, six years of drought have led to the loss of rural jobs and a significant decrease in cereal production. In response, the country is implementing modern irrigation techniques and a strategy that includes the use of desalinated seawater for agriculture, targeting to cover one million hectares with drip irrigation and to produce over 1.7 billion m3 of desalinated water per year by 2030. A program aims to extend supplementary irrigation for cereals to one million hectares by 2030, utilizing less water and showing promise in increasing cereal production despite rainfall deficits.

Agriculture represents about 12% of Morocco's GDP and provides about 30% of jobs. In 2024, agricultural exports totaled 5.2 million tonnes at the end of November for a value of 42 billion dirhams (about 4 billion euros), or about 19% of exports, according to figures provided to AFP by the Ministry of Agriculture. The European Union is the main destination for Moroccan agricultural products (tomatoes, citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables), with France as the leading customer for about 675 million tonnes and 12 billion dirhams (1.15 billion euros) last year, according to the same source. The sector has, however, been weakened by six consecutive years of drought that have caused the loss of around 137,000 rural jobs in 2024 (after -157,000 in 2023), pushing unemployment to its highest level since 2000: 13.3% last year. This year, once again, the indicators are not reassuring, with a rainfall deficit of 53% compared to the average of the last 30 years, indicated the ...