An awareness meeting on the role of the fruit arboriculture sector in local development was organised recently in Sefrou for the benefit of farmers in the region. Initiated by the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of Fes-Boulemane in partnership with the Federation for the Development of Arboriculture in Morocco (FEDAM), this meeting was an opportunity to mentor the farmers of the region and present to them the best ways to develop this sector and accelerate its integration into the national economy and strengthen its competitiveness. Abdelaziz Ismaili, head of the high-value-added agricultural sectors service at the DRA, took this opportunity to draw up an assessment of the arboriculture sector in the Fes-Boulemane region. "The fruit tree sector (rosaceae) occupies third place after those of cereals and olives, with an area of 11,150 ha and a total production of 123,210 tonnes per year. Apple, almond, plum, peach, cherry, and apricot trees are the main sectors. However, this sector is confronted with numerous difficulties that hinder its development, which are essentially linked to the low supply of authentic plants, the inadequacy of farm equipment, the insufficiency of product valorisation structures, and the disorganisation of marketing channels," he explained. To remedy these difficulties, Mr. Ismaili highlighted the advantages of aggregation for the development of the arboricultural sector. "Aggregation presents numerous advantages for both the aggregated and the aggregators. Thus, thanks to modern production techniques provided by the aggregator (close mentoring and demonstration farms), the aggregated are able to improve production quantitatively and qualitatively, and consequently, its commercial value. Aggregation also constitutes a solution for access to financing for small farmers through advances granted by the aggregator or through banks on the basis of guarantees offered by aggregation contracts. This meeting also aimed to encourage small farmers in the Fes-Boulemane region to join the FEDAM en masse, the organisation that brings together professionals in the sector at the national level, in order to benefit from the various advantages of the programme contract for the upgrading of the arboricultural sector, concluded in 2011.

Abderrahmane Rifaii, representative of the FEDAM, took this opportunity to inform the farmers present of the details of this agreement. This programme contract is structured around 3 main axes, namely the improvement of productivity and product quality, the valorisation of products, and the structuring of the framework conditions of the sector," he indicated.

The objectives by 2020 of the programme contract, the total cost of which is some 10.2 billion DH, concern the extension of areas cultivated with fruit trees to reach 325,000 ha, the increase of production up to 1,600,000 tonnes/year, and exports up to 50,000 tonnes/year.