irrigated

The Moroccan Government wants to reinforce its weight in the Sahara by betting on its agricultural muscle, a double objective for which it is looking for allies. His Agency for Agricultural Development (ADA) just launched a call to attract investment partners to help it gain around 1,100 hectares of agricultural land in Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, land intended for commercial horticulture that will benefit from a new desalination plant. The topic is especially interesting in Spain for two reasons: it focuses on the environment of ancient settlement of Villa Cisneros and can affect the Spanish agricultural sector, which has been complaining for a long time of the Moroccan competition. What has happened? That the Moroccan Executive wants to reinforce its footprint in the economy of Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, a region located south of the disputed territory of Western Sahara. In fact its capital is Dakhlawhat was once the Spanish settlement of Villa Cisneros. To that end, the ADA has launched a tender with which he intends to attract companies to help him cultivate an area of ​​almost 1,100 hectares that will benefit from a new desalination plant. What exactly has he done? The news has advanced it the diary Les Inspirations Ecowhich a few days ago revealed that the Moroccan Agricultural Development Agency has launched a call to attract investors (both local and foreign) interested in taking charge of 35 agricultural projects spread across Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab and that will cover more than 1,090 h. Specifically, what Rabat has in mind is a public-private collaboration (PPP) formula focused on lands controlled by the Moroccan State and that will be divided into thirty agricultural projects: 28 medium-sized ones that cover 345.6 hectares, three large ones that are close to 170 h, another three that will require aggregation and total 565.1 h and another smaller one (9.8 h). How will they be managed? Through rental contracts. Interested investors will sign agreements with the Moroccan Government for between 25 and 40 years of exploitation (this last period, the longest, is reserved for plots that require investment in processing plants), a period during which companies must pay a rent established by the Government. According to the newspaper The DebateDepending on the size, the rent will range between €640 and €4,250 per year. The Moroccan press also speaks of a connection fee per hectare. That rent is not the only commitment that companies interested in exploiting farmland will assume. The rental fee will increase by 10% every five years from the moment the irrigation system is activated. The investor will also not be able to do what he wants with the land. The idea is that they present projects focused primarily on commercial horticulture (excluding berries). Those who sign the contract will also be obliged to manage and exploit the plots directly, without transferring them to third parties. Why is it important? That Morocco seeks partners to strengthen the country’s agricultural muscle is interesting, but it does not explain why the news has captured the interest of the Spanish press. If he has done it, it is not so much because of ‘the what’ as ‘the where’. As we noted before, the project focuses on Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, in the area of ​​Western Sahara that Morocco considers part of its territory and the Polisario Front claims as floor of the Sahrawi Republic. Is there anything else? Yes. The call launched by Rabat is part of a much broader and more ambitious initiative: a Dakhla irrigation project that aims to use desalinated seawater to irrigate just over 5,000 hectares. In fact, the almost 1,100 h that ADA offers will benefit from the water from that plant. In general, Rabat has been making an effort to reinforce the economic muscle of Dakhla, which in the process establishes its weight in the region. In the background is the program ‘Generation Green 2020-2030’launched years ago by the Moroccan Executive and which aims to strengthen the country’s agricultural GDP and reinforce its export muscle. Right now Morocco plays a key role as fruit and vegetable supplier of Spain and has managed to expand its export weight in the European Union in products such as the tomato. Meanwhile, Spanish farmers warn of the unfair competition that the country exercises. Images | Hugh Llewelyn (Flickr), Flowcomm (Flickr) In Xataka | Europe has found an energy vein for the next decade: North Africa