The industrial development of the sea sand activity makes it possible to provide an alternative solution to sand looting. This is what the Rimal officials explained during a visit organised on Thursday, 10 May, for the press to the sea sand platform in Larache. "Dredging sea sand constitutes an instrument of economic development and sustainable development," affirmed Abdelkebir Hmimou, member of the board and operations engineer at Rimal "Le sable vert". This subsidiary of the Drapor Group inaugurated its third Larache sand platform in July 2008 after those of Azemmour and Mahdia. This third platform is laid out on an area of 5 ha, so as to encompass all aspects ranging from the production process to the marketing of sand. It is intended to supply the northern region thanks to a production capacity of 1.2 million m3 per year. The sand discharged at the Larache platform undergoes treatment, which consists of washing, screening and control tests. The product obtained for marketing complies with the requirements of the Moroccan construction and concrete standard. The two weighbridges of this platform "make it possible to give the precise weight of the empty truck at the entrance and then with its load at the exit of the site," specifies Hassan Ayad, Chairman of the Board at Rimal "Le sable vert". Like the two platforms of Azemmour and Mahdia, the sand dredged in Larache and at the mouth of the Oued Loukouss has demonstrated that the project is part of the natural environment of the exploitation sites, landing in the port and safety of use. Rimal allows, therefore, and in a concern for respect for the environment, to regulate the national sand market and supply BTP activities. It should be noted that Morocco, a country in full construction, consumes more than 20 million m³ of sand per year, the largest part of which is produced from dune and beach sand. Abusive sand extraction generates significant constraints including considerable fiscal losses for the State and local authorities. "To avoid these bad practices and compensate for the deficit in terms of sand, the State is currently focusing on alternative solutions towards sea sand from the continental shelf, by seeking the most sustainable way, from economic and ecological points of view, to solve this problem of sand shortage," report the Rimal officials.