The province of Tiznit is dressing in the colours of the almond tree. The municipality of Tafraout is preparing to host the 5th edition of the Almond Blossom Festival. An economic, cultural, and artistic celebration that will be held from 2 to 8 March. The festival, which coincides with the almond tree blossom, is an opportunity to reconnect with this culture and support both its development and its preservation. The event will therefore be organised by the Louz Tafraout Association in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries as well as the province of Tiznit and the municipality of Tafraout. The occasion is to promote local economic actors and contribute to the solidarity economy through the creation of a dynamic favourable to agricultural cooperatives in the region.

A production in clear improvement

The almond tree is one of the most consumed fruit species in Morocco. It figures just after the olive tree with an area of nearly 151,000 hectares, at a time when it did not exceed 134,000 hectares in 2008. Plantations have thus climbed by 13% between 2008 and 2012. In terms of production, the sector maintains its growth rhythm. According to the latest statistics provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, the almond sector went from 72 tonnes per hectare in 2008 to 99 tonnes per hectare in 2012, i.e., 19 tonnes per shelled hectare. Note that 50% of the almond tree area was concentrated in 2012 in the Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate and Souss-Massa-Drâa regions. These two regions represent a third of national production, while Fès and Meknès contribute 30% of production, i.e., an area of 6%.

An event with a thousand and one colours

Three days will therefore be dedicated to the almond tree, thus placing the province of Tiznit as an economic, cultural, and artistic crossroads. The event also aims to be a locomotive of development for the almond territory. On the sidelines of the event, several projects will be launched. Let us cite in this sense the development of rural tracks and the equipment of almond and olive plantation perimeters. The fifth edition of the Tafraout Almond Blossom Festival will be rich in conferences and workshops. An exhibition space will be set up serving as a fair for the marketing of local products. In parallel, cultural activities will be on the programme, promising evenings animated to the rhythm of local and national traditional music.