No one could have imagined that one day, the province of Smara would be the source of any agri-food production. And for good reason. This city is located in the most arid southern part of the Moroccan southern provinces, a short distance from the Lahmada desert, where rainfall is among the lowest locally and where the main fauna consisted, until now, of acacia, known locally as Talh, to which several medicinal and ecological virtues are attributed. But to go as far as financing the launch of a cooperative whose objective is the production and marketing of argan oil was a challenge that local authorities did not hesitate to take up.

Everyone was unaware that the province of Smara also possessed argan trees extending over an area of 3,000 hectares in the rural communes of J’Diria and Haouza. It is for the valorisation of this wealth and within the framework of strengthening the socio-economic fabric that the governor of the province of Smara presided over the inauguration ceremony of a cooperative named Dar Argan.

This project, for which a budget of 2.066 million dirhams has been released, aims to valorise argan production in the province and to integrate more women into the economic fabric.

The project, the result of a partnership between the Southern Agency, the province of Smara, and the INDH, includes the development and establishment of a production unit, the acquisition of materials, equipment, and raw materials. It will initially allow for the creation of 15 jobs, 11 of which are direct.

In a statement on this occasion, the provincial coordinator of the Initiative House emphasised that this project is part of the social economy and poverty alleviation programme. It aims to valorise the argan tree and its derivatives and meets all the conditions required for the manufacture of agri-food products.

It should be noted that the Initiative House, which is a branch of the Southern Agency, has participated in the realisation of several projects aimed at the socio-economic integration of disadvantaged groups. Among the achievements of this institution, one can cite, in particular, the Couscous House of Smara, cooperatives for local cosmetic and perfumery products, and the marble factory using Smara stone, among others.