Morocco, Spain's Agriculture Ministers discuss enhanced cooperation

Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, held talks on Thursday in Cordoba, southern Spain, with his Spanish counterpart Luis Planas on ways to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector.

The two ministers praised the outstanding bilateral relations built on geographic proximity, a shared Mediterranean heritage, and a common vision of challenges related to climate change, water management and the resilience of agricultural systems.

They also stressed the complementarity of the two economies in agri-food trade and the need to reinforce dialogue in order to consolidate mutual trust and elevate agricultural cooperation to a higher level.

Discussions also focused on deepening technical and scientific cooperation, particularly in the fields of sanitary and phytosanitary standards, sustainable management and modernization of irrigation systems, as well as the development of non-conventional water resources.

“In this meeting, we conducted an in-depth exchange and updated the main areas of cooperation between our two countries, while reviewing the state of our bilateral relations in the agri-food sector,” the Spanish minister told MAP.

He welcomed the “exemplary collaboration between Morocco and Spain across numerous shared-interest issues, particularly those related to our common geographic situation, the effects of climate change, water challenges and other related concerns.”

“We also discussed cooperation in the field of animal health, as well as several issues related to plant health, which are essential for both countries,” he added, underscoring the importance of the upcoming Morocco–Spain High-Level meeting, during which several agricultural, agri-food and fisheries memorandums of understanding will be signed to strengthen the institutional and operational framework of the partnership between the two countries.