News in brief: China and Morocco have signed a MoU to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, covering areas such as fishing, organic agriculture, and water management. The agreement aims to deepen their existing bilateral relations and boost economic growth for both countries.
China and Morocco have further strengthened their bilateral ties by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance agricultural cooperation between both countries.
China’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian, and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Sadiki, signed the agreement in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, on July 4, 2023.
The agreement defines multiple areas of cooperation between both nations, which includes distant water fishing, aquatic products processing technology, organic agriculture, agricultural digitalisation, irrigation techniques, and water management. These areas of cooperation show mutual agricultural practices between those countries.
The Chinese Minister of Agriculture lauded the cooperation between both countries in areas of vegetable variety cultivation, cultivation technology and veterinary drug and vaccine research and development.
He expressed China’s willingness to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with Morocco on various fronts, including animal disease prevention and control, dry land water-saving agriculture, conservation of marine fishery resources, and protecting and utilising agricultural heritage.
The Moroccan minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Sadiki, also provided an overview of Moroccoâs agricultural situation and development strategy, expressing his countryâs enthusiasm to leverage the MoU to elevate China-Morocco agricultural cooperation.
Agriculture plays a major role in Moroccoâs economy, contributing to over 15% of the countryâs total economic output and employing about 40% of its labor force. China, being the largest supplier of green tea to Morocco, has found its second-largest tea export destination in the country. This new agreement is expected to solidify the two nationsâ agricultural ties further, potentially leading to increased economic growth and development.
China and Morocco have a long history of bilateral relations as they both established diplomatic relations since 1958. The relations between China and Morocco have indeed experienced significant development in various fields, thanks to their strong diplomatic relations and political will to cooperate in promising areas. The Chinese special envoy for the Middle East Zhai Jun said âMorocco is a friend and strategic partner’.
