HM The King Inaugurates Several Agriculture Development Projects In Khouribga For Over 111 Mln Dirhams

PERSISMA, Bejaad (province of Khouribga) – HM King Mohammed VI inaugurated, Friday in the rural commune of Tachrafte in Bejaad (province of Khouribga), several agriculture development projects for an amount of 111.2 million dirhams.

The Sovereign received details on these projects which fall within the scope of the Green Plan and aim at developing red meat, olive-growing and milk goat breeding in Bejaad.

The red meat development programme includes two projects that will benefit 2.477 breeders from 18 rural communes.

The 71.25 million dirham programme aims to raise meat productivity from 14 to 24 kilograms per head for goats and from 24 to 34 kilograms per head for sheep, improve the farmer’s income from 250 to 500 dirhams per head and create 176 jobs.

The first project is intended to improve the production of red meat of sheep and goats in the province of Khouribga.

The four-year project (2010-2013), which benefits 2,277 farmers, consists of planting 4,000 ha of fodder shrubs and fodder crops and 500 ha of cactus and building stables (63,150 square meters), supply centers, two fattening units and a cutting unit.

The second 5.75 million dirham project provides for building 50 goat keepers and a supply centre and developing five water sites. This project is expected to benefit over 200 farmers (five communes).

As for the olive-growing programme in the province of Khouribga, it will benefit more than 1,430 farmers in nine communes.

Worth 37.35 million dirhams, the programme is intended to produce 6,750 tonnes of olives and an additional 972 tonnes of olive oil, improve the farmer’s income from 7400 to 14,000 dirhams/ha, and create 237 jobs.

The first project under this programme concerns the rehabilitation of the olive tree in Bejaad and Oued Zem. The three-year project (2011-2013), which involves investments of around 6.55 million dirhams, covers three rural communes with a total area of ??650 ha.

The project which will benefit over 490 farmers.

The programme of developing olive-growing in the province of Khouribga also provides for developing the olive oil chain in Bejaad (2012-2013), with an investment of 30.8 million dirhams. It covers eight rural communes in Bejaad.

Benefiting more than 940 farmers, the project provides for planting 1,600 ha of olive trees, building and equipping five olive trituration units, and providing support and technical guidance to farmers.

On this occasion, HM the King planted an olive tree as a sign of launching the project.

The third programme inaugurated by HM the King concerns developing the milk goat breeding in Bejaad, with a total investment of 2.69 million dirhams.

The three-year programme (2011-2013) benefits 200 farmers.

It aims to increase annual milk productivity from 80 to 200 litres per head, improve farmers’ annual income from 400 to 1,500 dirhams per head and create 10 stable jobs.