According to the association, the cold has severely affected banana cultivation in this area, causing damage that it estimated at more than 85% for adult plantations in production and direct financial losses of around 210,000 DH per hectare. The frost, the association added, has also affected the production potential of young plantations by more than 60%, which compromises the yield of the next campaign.

The damage from low temperatures is in addition to the losses caused by the violent winds that the Gharb region has experienced, which could push several producers to abandon the sector in the absence of support measures, added APROBA.

According to the figures provided by the association, 2,200 ha are planted with bananas in the Gharb region and 750 ha in Chtouka, in the Doukkala-Abda region.

The president of the association, Yahi Mohamed, insisted, for his part, on a better reorganisation of the association on modern bases and on the need to strengthen and renew its structures, in order to be able to effectively defend the interests of its members, particularly in terms of marketing their production. Banana producers feel very aggrieved because of the prices charged by intermediaries who buy the kg of bananas for between 4 and 4.5 DH and sell them on the market for double and sometimes triple the price.

The meeting, which was also attended by the presidents of the APROBA branches in the Gharb and Doukkala regions, also raised the possibility of the association being joined by producers of other fruits such as avocado, which also suffered damage due to the frost.

According to the association, national banana production amounts to more than 250,000 tonnes per year and the number of producers is estimated at more than 1,800, of which 10% are young promoters. The number of direct and indirect jobs generated by the sector, the association adds, is estimated at between 250,000 and 300,000 positions.

This request from producers does not seem to have been heard by the public authorities since the government programme for support to the agricultural sector has not given it the importance it deserves.

Within the framework of this programme, a budget of 1.53 billion dirhams has, in fact, been allocated mainly to the safeguarding of livestock in the affected areas, declared Aziz Akhannouch while presenting, on Thursday, the situation of the 2011-2012 agricultural campaign before the productive sectors commission of the House of Representatives.

This programme consists of subsidising 5 million quintals of fodder, while giving priority to barley and complex fodder, he explained, adding that the target price of barley is 200 DH for breeders.

It also consists of covering the transport costs of fodder (3 million quintals), giving more importance to animal health, through the vaccination of livestock, and accelerating the compensation of affected farmers.

The subsidy of certified seed prices and the exemption of barley from customs duties are also on the menu of this programme, according to the minister who specified that in case of degradation of the situation, a complementary programme will be drawn up according to the volume of rainfall in the coming months of March and April.

This rainfall deficit has had a negative impact not only on livestock, but also on vegetation cover, particularly in the Al Haouz and Skhour Rhamna regions, and has caused a surge in fodder prices and a drop of 16 and 25% in livestock prices, he said.

The government has put in place an agricultural insurance system strategy consisting of compensating for cereal and legume harvests in 16 regions, the minister noted.

In addition to insurance against climate change, the government will proceed with insurance relating to fruit trees, vegetables and olives and insurance on livestock.