Meknes – The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, visited the prefecture of Meknes and the provinces of El Hajeb and Ifrane on Friday to assess the progress of the agricultural season and the impact of recent rainfall.
The Ministry of Agriculture indicated that the objective of this visit is to assess the impacts of recent rainfall on the agricultural season, particularly cereal crops, oilseeds, and arboriculture, adding that this visit was also an opportunity to exchange with farmers and breeders regarding the situation of the agricultural season and the state of the livestock.
According to data from the Ministry, after a start to the season marked by a rainfall deficit, the last few weeks have recorded significant rainfall in the Fes-Meknes region, which has improved the state of crops and revived the hope of farmers and breeders, with an average cumulative rainfall of 332.5 mm.
The positive effect of the recent rains is evident on the vegetative state of autumn cereals, with 40% of the areas considered in good condition and 49% in average condition, the same source adds, specifying that this improvement suggests yields higher than initial forecasts.
The area cultivated with autumn cereals is nearly 650,000 ha, of which more than 11,000 ha are irrigated. Soft wheat cultivation represents 48% of this area, followed by durum wheat with 26%, then barley cultivation.
Oilseed cultivation occupies nearly 1,500 ha, including 46% rapeseed and 54% sunflower. The recent rains come at an opportune time for fruit arboriculture, particularly for the olive tree, whose productive area is nearly 360,000 ha, or 77% of the arboricultural area.
Vegetable crops of potatoes and onions in the region are very positively impacted by these rains.
It should be noted in this context that the Fes-Meknes region alone produces almost half of the national onion production and 20% of the national potato production.
The Minister visited the Tigrigra territorial commune in the province of Ifrane and visited a pastoral perimeter of 2,000 ha operated by an association made up of nearly 90 sheep and goat breeders with a herd of approximately 15,500 heads. He had exchanges with the association's breeders about the situation of the livestock in the province and the importance of the sector in the national economy.
The silvopastoral and pastoral rangelands of the region, which extend over 1.8 million hectares, show a good improvement in vegetation cover, thus strengthening the availability of forage resources for extensive livestock farming. The dominant breeds are the Timahdite breed and the Beni Guil breed.
During this visit, Mr. El Bouari held a meeting with members of the regional chamber of agriculture. The discussions focused on the situation of the agricultural season and the problems faced by farmers and breeders. On this occasion, he confirmed the continued commitment of the Ministry of Agriculture's services to strengthen support for farmers, to remain attentive to them, to strengthen projects for the modernisation of irrigation systems, and to promote innovative solutions for sustainable and resilient agriculture.
Indeed, the same source emphasises, the adoption of climate-smart technologies appears today as an essential response to secure agricultural production, guarantee the sustainability of agricultural development, and support the rural economy.
This article Mr. El Bouari in Meknes, El Hajeb and Ifrane to assess the progress of the agricultural season and the impact of recent rainfall appeared first on MAP Express.
