Fquih Ben Salah: Mr. Hatimy Launches the 2026-2027 Agricultural Campaign

The Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, and Food Sovereignty, Khalid Hatimy, officially launched the 2026-2027 agricultural campaign on Saturday in the commune of Sidi Hamadi (Fquih Ben Salah province).

The launch ceremony took place in the presence of the Wali of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region and Governor of the Béni Mellal province, Mohamed Benribag; the Governor of the Fquih Ben Salah province, Mohamed Karnachi; the President of the Regional Council, Adil Barakat; the President of the Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (COMADER), Rachid Benali; as well as several central and regional officials, elected representatives, and representatives of agricultural professional organizations.

In a press statement on this occasion, Mr. Hatimy emphasized that this new campaign aims to achieve high levels of production and added value, while creating new job opportunities and making a substantial contribution to the Kingdom’s food sovereignty and security.

The Minister stressed the imperative of changing the paradigm and management approach of the sector to address climate change and major geopolitical shifts with resilience, noting that the new strategic approach is essentially based on ensuring optimal productivity with rationalized water resources and controlled inputs.

This launch comes on the heels of an agricultural season (2025-2026) marked by favorable rainfall, which resulted in a cereal harvest estimated at nearly 90 million quintals. To ensure the smooth running of the current campaign, and as part of the “Generation Green” strategy, the Ministry has taken a series of measures, including the mobilization of approximately 1.3 million quintals of certified winter cereal seeds at subsidized prices of up to 50%.

In this regard, the selling prices of nationally certified seeds have been set at 270 DH/q for soft wheat, 320 DH/q for durum wheat, and 250 DH/q for barley, while the market will be supplied with approximately 500,000 tons of phosphate fertilizers. Similarly, the national direct seeding program continues with 540,000 hectares planned, combined with coverage of approximately one million hectares by multi-risk climate insurance (cereals, pulses, and oilseed crops).

Regarding livestock production, and with the aim of preserving national capital, a livestock restocking program has been launched. This program includes targeted incentives for the importation of heifers and breeding cows, alongside a gradual reduction in imports of cattle destined for slaughter, with the goal of reviving local production and stabilizing market prices.

For his part, the president of COMADER, Rachid Benali, noted in a similar statement that the inclusion of “food sovereignty” in the ministry’s new name is a strong signal from His Majesty the King, reflecting the crucial importance and urgency of this strategic issue.

This campaign comes after six consecutive years of drought, interspersed with an excellent agricultural season last year, noted Mr. Benali, emphasizing the urgent need to support farmers so they can be more resilient to climate risks and overcome the material losses that have severely impacted their cash flow and production systems.

On the sidelines of this ceremony, the minister conducted a field visit to a cooperative working to improve the socio-economic conditions of rural women in Ouled M’Barek, as well as to a certified seed sales center in Sidi Hamadi. Mr. Hatimy also inquired about the progress of irrigation infrastructure, including the filtration station in sector G9 (serving 3,243 hectares with an investment of 15 million dirhams), and the Zidania canal modernization project (395.22 million dirhams), aimed at reducing water losses and optimizing hydraulic performance.

These official activities culminated in a working meeting with representatives of the Moroccan Interprofessional Olive Association “Interprolive”, dedicated to a comprehensive review of the olive sector, the progress of the harvest campaign, and the challenges related particularly to labor costs and the current market conditions.