The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continue to support the Moroccan olive oil sector 

Developing a strong olive oil sector in Morocco

As part of their continuing support to Morocco's olive oil sector, FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in collaboration with Interprolive, Morocco's olive oil industry association, organized a workshop in Meknes aimed at strengthening the organization and capacities of Interprolive.

The event, held on 7 February 2017 in one of Morocco's major olive growing regions, brought together public and private stakeholders to discuss how to improve the sector's interprofessional organization and ensure quality production. For this occasion, representatives of Italian and Portuguese olive oil professional associations were also invited to share their experiences with Moroccan counterparties.

The workshop followed a four-day knowledge exchange trip to Italy in October 2016, organised for Moroccan and Tunisian olive growers, olive oil producers, traders, government representatives as well as other industry actors.

Morocco's agriculture strategy (the Green Morocco Plan), recognizes the olive oil industry's potential to contribute to development and national economic growth, and the country has invested significantly in olive oil production, both in primary production and processing. However, there is room for improvement.

"By reinforcing olive oil sector institutions and focusing on the quality of production, Morocco will be able to strengthen the olive oil value chain at the national level, facilitate job creation and increase exports," said Mohamed Sadiki, Secretary General of Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries. Read on here.