São Paulo – Qatar and Morocco have announced this Monday (25th) the signing of an agreement in Rabat for a US$ 136 million grant from the former to fund agriculture projects in desert areas in Morocco. The agreement was signed by the Qatari minister of Finance, Ali Shareef Al-Emadi, and by the Moroccan ministers of Economy and Finance, Mohammed Bou Said, and of Agriculture and Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch.
According to information released by the Kuwaiti news agency Kuna, part of the funds will be allocated to improving irrigation of 2,500 hectares in Wazzan, 180 kilometres from Rabat. The measure is expected to increase crop yields in the area, boost farmers’ income and lower the risk of food insecurity.
Another project will see US$ 109 million from the total grant. The sum will be spent in the areas of Sous-Massa Draa, in central Morocco, and Guelmim-Es Semara, in the country’s south, in developing 16 million hectares worth of pasture.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
