Morocco & EU Launch twinning project to strengthen the control of plant protection products

Rabat – The institutional twinning project to strengthen the control of plant protection products, fertilizers and growing media was launched Tuesday in Rabat, with funding from the European Union (EU) up 1.2 million euros).

Over a period of 24 months (2015-2017), this pairing comes as part of the implementation of the program “Successfully advanced status” which is part of the partnership between Morocco and the EU.

In this project, the Moroccan National Office for Safety of Food (ONSSA) is the primary beneficiary, provides for the mobilization of many expert missions French and German institutions involved as well as several study visits Moroccan officials in Europe .

Launched at a ceremony chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, attended by representatives of the EU Delegation and the embassies of France and Germany to Morocco, this project, funded by the EU, will be run by a Franco-German consortium.

This project is part of the regulatory process of convergence towards the EU acquis and contribute to the improved management of plant protection products, fertilizers and growing media.

This project promises to a number of related results including the updating of the regulation of plant protection products, the development of the regulation of the marketing of fertilizers and growing media and the strengthening of technical capacity assessment and management of applications for authorization to market these products.

It also aims to improve the control of plant protection products, fertilizers and crop supports import, distribution and use, and the consolidation of structures for the control of pesticide residues in and on foodstuffs food and reduced risk of maximum residue limits overruns for better consumer protection both local and export markets.

The implementation of this project will enable Morocco to France and Germany to share experience and know-how through the organization of expert missions, seminars, visits er formations.

The ceremony was marked by the presence of representatives of the French ministry of agriculture, food and forestry, the French National Agency for the Safety of Food, Environment and Labour (Anes ), the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BLV) and ONSSA.