The German government has extended an €8.4 million loan to Morocco for the purchase of irrigation equipment, reported MAP.
According to the German Embassy in Morocco the project will be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and will improve farming production in the southern part of the country.
In Morocco, nearly half of the country's 30 million people and most of the poor live in rural areas. The agricultural sector, which employs half of the work force, remains a major component of the economy, contributing about 17 percent to the gross national product. As a result, agricultural performance has a critical impact on the socio-economic situation of rural households.
In response to the increase in rural poverty, the government of Morocco adopted the 2020 Rural Development Strategy—an ambitious plan that strives to eliminate rural poverty by 2020 by focusing on agricultural development. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
