Moroccan government council approves agricultural national registry, to include workers in social security system

The Moroccan government council approved a draft bill to establish a national agricultural registry.

Mohamed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture made the announcement at a press conference following the government council meeting on Thursday.

According to the minister, the register aims to facilitate the elaboration of national strategic agricultural exploitation plans and keep track of important sector indicators.

The requirements of this project consist of 19 articles divided into five chapters on the objectives and content of the agricultural registry, the procedures for restricting agricultural exploitation in the registry, in addition to the requirements for its management.

The registry has three main goals, says the minister, first being the collection of data and the elaboration of a database, second is the creation of a legal framework for the data collection, and third, is contributing to the proper strategizing of national and regional agricultural plans.

The national agricultural registry, a plan that falls within the framework of the “Green Morocco” initiative, will allow “the proper exploitation of the approximate 9 million hectares suitable for cultivation and agricultural activity in the country,” according to the official.

Over 1.6 million agricultural workers will be registered on the national level, each with individual identification numbers and data detailing their contributions to the sector, and will be able to benefit from health insurance, and retirement allocations.

The government official added that “the agricultural registry will complete the creation of public policy in the agricultural sector, and aims to encourage agricultural investment, manage risks, agricultural advice, support farmers, and encode local products and health safety.”

The project is the result of extensive consultations with various ministerial departments and relevant institutions and bodies.

During its formulation, various observations were taken into account after studying them. It was also the subject of meetings with the National Committee for Monitoring the Protection of Personal Data, in order to ensure its compatibility with the provisions of Law No. 09.08 relating to the protection of personal data.

Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas assured media at the press conference that the registry law “is in perfect alignment with the requirements of national legislation on personal data protection.”