Morocco’s experience in the preservation of marine resources presented in conference in Eilat

Morocco took part in the 1st international conference on sea and desert food production technologies, held in Eilat, Israel October 18 to 20, with the participation of representatives from many countries, including 10 ministers and deputy ministers from around the world.

During the conference, Director General of the National Fisheries Research Institute (INRH), Abdelmalek Faraj, made a presentation on Morocco’s experience in the field of the preservation of marine resources and their sustainability, the preservation of marine biodiversity and sustainable exploitation.

In this vein, he surveyed the Blue Belt Initiative launched by Morocco to respond to the challenges of climate change, ocean conservation and the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture, in order to ensure the main factors for future food security.

This initiative, he said, aims to complement national and regional marine strategies by encouraging the transformation of jobs in the maritime fishing sector into sustainable activities that respect the marine environment while making environmental constraints arising from the effects of climate change new economic opportunities, generating added value.

The Moroccan ocean coast, which offers 58% of production opportunities, is an unsustainable space, and the Blue Belt Initiative has come to develop sustainable means using the natural specificities of the ocean with the problems of climate change and food security, he noted.

The objective of the Blue Belt Initiative is to encourage lasting solutions and strengthen international cooperation, Abdelmalek Faraj explained, adding that Morocco, which has accumulated pioneering experience in several areas such as smart fishing and sustainable fishing, aims to make the private sector a key player in the sector.

He specified in this vein that Morocco, which has coasts extending over more than 3,500 km, is a leading country in the maritime fishing sector with a production of approximately 1.5 million tons. Meanwhile, efforts are also being made to develop the marine farm sector, he said, recalling the creation of an agency specializing in this field, namely the National Agency for the Development of Aquaculture (ANDA).

He noted that Morocco has invested more than €150 million over ten years to develop the infrastructures of scientific research on fish, and that two research centers and a center of ocean studies have been built, in addition to the reform of legislation to accompany the development of marine farming, the development of extensive management plans and the strengthening of private sector participation.

Israel’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Oded Forer, affirmed at a press conference on Tuesday in Eilat, following the opening of the international conference that there are very great prospects for cooperation with Morocco in the agricultural sector, highlighting the promising investment opportunities offered by the economies of the two countries.

“We are currently making sure to leverage the advantages of both countries in the sector. I recently had discussions by videoconference with my Moroccan counterpart, and we discussed the major issues affecting the agricultural sector, as well as the various topics that will be addressed by this conference, and which are a source of concern for both countries,” added the Israeli official.

“I am happy with Morocco’s significant participation in this conference, because Morocco has important experiences from which we can benefit, particularly in ocean research,” he said.

He explained that this conference is the first of its kind in the region which suffers from the same problems of climate change, high temperatures and drought, noting that it is an opportunity to address the problems of agriculture and to discuss how to guarantee food for future generations.

Forer stressed that the whole world is invited to address issues related to food security and the climate crisis, noting that the conference is an opportunity for discussion, participation and establishment of partnerships between the countries of the region, to deal with these problems.

The international conference in Eilat was meant to strengthen knowledge and technologies in the field of food production from the sea and the desert, and to promote research and commercial cooperation in this field.

The conference was attended by some 70 participants from several countries, including the United States, Chile, Ghana, Singapore, Romania, Malta, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, the Netherlands, Australia, Iceland…