HM The King and Guinea-Bissau’s Pres. Chair Ceremony to Present Morocco-Guinea-Bissau Agricultural Partnership

PERSISMA – HM King Mohammed VI and Guinea-Bissau’s head of state José Mario Vaz chaired, on Thursday 28 May 2015 at the presidential palace in Bissau, a ceremony to present the agricultural partnership between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

While presenting this partnership, agriculture and fisheries minister Aziz Akhannouch said that there is a huge opportunity for Morocco and Guinea-Bissau to reinforce their partnership, mainly in the agricultural field.

He underlined that the royal visit to Guinea Bissau is in line with the strengthening of bilateral cooperation since 2011, thanks to the new impetus given by HM King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President José Mario Vaz, and marked mainly by the opening of Guinea-Bissau’s chancellery in Rabat in 2011.

Akhannouch surveyed Morocco’s green plan, an inclusive and balanced strategy elaborated in 2008 to help the agricultural sector fully play its role as an engine for development.

The minister added that, pursuant HM the King’s instructions concerning sharing Morocco’s expertize with Guinea Bissau, the Moroccan agricultural expertize and Guinea-Bissau’s potential can lead to three main lines of partnership and 10 concrete fields of cooperation.

The first main line “Partnerships on industries” is based on three sectors, namely sharing expertize for rice culture development, sharing artificial insemination and amelioration of sheep and cattle races to increase milk and meat production, and supporting the sector of white meat (breeding and slaughtering).

The second main line “Partnerships on irrigation and input” includes two sectors related to sharing experiences and technical support for the development of irrigation (technical studies, dams, hydro-agricultural facilities), and support on input use in partnership with the national institute of agricultural research (INRA) and the Cherifian Office for Phosphates (OCP).

The third main line “Partnerships on supporting actors and encouraging investment” includes 5 sectors related to backing the professionalization of small farms through the development of cooperatives, technical support to carry out training programs on health control, R&D and laboratory competences, sharing knowledge on the promotion of investment and a feasibility study for a potential creation of an Agency for Agricultural Development, technical support on contract-programs and projects and support for PPP to develop the State’s agricultural lands.

The ceremony was attended by the official delegation accompanying HM the King and members of Guinea-Bissau’s government.

Source: MAP