Morocco Launches Meknes Oilseed Center to Boost Food Sovereignty

Faced with a dependence on imports of oils and oilseed cakes exceeding 90%, stakeholders in the oilseed sector in Morocco officially launched the Oilseed Technical Center in Meknes on Thursday. Supported by French cooperation, this center aims to strengthen food sovereignty by targeting 15% domestic production of oilseeds in Morocco by 2030.

The official launch of the project to create the Meknes Oilseed Technical Center (CTOM) took place on Thursday at the Meknes Agropole. The meeting brought together key stakeholders in the sector, including the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), the Interprofessional Federation of Oilseeds (FOLEA), the Group of Oilseed Industrialists of Morocco (GIOM), as well as representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the French Embassy.

The event marks the beginning of a technical structuring process aimed at revitalizing rapeseed and sunflower cultivation in Morocco, in a context marked by drought and the volatility of international markets. The objective is to strengthen the Kingdom’s food sovereignty in terms of cooking oils and oilseed cakes for livestock feed.

Over 90% of Morocco’s dependence on imports:

The urgency of the situation is evident in the foreign trade figures. Morocco currently depends on foreign countries for over 90% of its vegetable oil consumption and for almost all of its animal protein in the form of oilseed cakes.

Rachid Benali, president of COMADER, emphasizes that these products are essential for both human consumption and the viability of the national livestock sector. Beyond the commercial aspect, the revival of oilseed production addresses an agronomic imperative in Morocco. The current model, dominated by cereal monoculture across 5 million hectares of rainfed land, is showing its limitations.

The lack of crop rotation depletes the soil and jeopardizes the sustainability of harvests. Mohammed El Baraka, president of FOLEA, emphasizes that integrating oilseeds into cropping systems is a necessary lever for diversifying farmers’ incomes and improving the overall performance of farms. The stated ambition of industry professionals is to reduce this costly external import bill by seizing the existing local market opportunity.

Four Structural Obstacles Identified in Morocco:

The diagnosis made by professionals highlights four main obstacles hindering the sector’s development. The first concerns the climate, characterized by structural drought observed over the last two decades, making rapeseed and sunflower cultivation more complex. The second point raised by Rachid Benali relates to economic profitability. With yields capped between 18 and 20 quintals and stable selling prices in the face of a fourfold increase in input costs, farmers struggle to generate a profit margin. The third obstacle relates to the lack of mechanization.

Investment in equipment has collapsed, as illustrated by the absence of combine harvester sales in the last five years, contrasting with the volumes of the 1980s.

Finally, competition between sectors plays a decisive role in Morocco. Farmers with water resources often favour market gardening or sugar crops, which generate significantly higher incomes.

Kamal Hidane, regional director of agriculture for Fes-Meknes, notes that the areas cultivated in the region are only around 5,000 hectares for an average production of 25,000 quintals, results considered below the real potential of the territory.

The ambition to cover 15% of needs by 2030

Faced with these observations, the new Technical Center in Morocco has been given a precise roadmap. The strategic objective is to cover approximately 15% of national needs for oils and oilseed cakes by 2030. To achieve this, the structure will not be limited to an administrative role but will act as a local resource.

Kamal Hidane emphasizes that the success of agricultural sectors depends as much on the quality of advice and support as on material investments. The center’s mission is to develop applied research to improve yields and adapt technical approaches to current water constraints.

The aim is to provide producers in Morocco with concrete solutions and responsive advisory services. Stakeholders agree that subsidies alone cannot be a sustainable solution, as past experience with other crops has shown. The strategy is based on a systemic approach combining technical support, varietal innovation, and economic measures to restore farmers’ profitability within a competitive value chain.

Funding of €487,000 for bilateral cooperation

The project’s realization relies on close international cooperation, particularly with France. Xavier Pacholek, agricultural advisor at the French Embassy, ​​explains that the center’s launch is part of the momentum of the framework agreement for agricultural and forestry cooperation recently signed by the two countries. The project benefits from €487,000 in funding from the French Ministry of the Economy.

Operational implementation involves the National Office for Agricultural Advice (ONCA) and the French association Agropol, supported by the expertise of the technical organizations Terres Univia and Terres Inovia.

This partnership aims to transfer French research and development expertise while adapting it to the specificities of the Moroccan context. The implementation process will span two years and should lead to the creation of a sustainable tool by 2026. The initiative reflects the shared commitment to strengthening bilateral and continental food security in the face of the climate challenges of the coming decades.

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First published in LES ECO.ma. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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