Morocco plans to irrigate 71,000 hectares of farmland with desalinated seawater – Morocco is facing its 5th consecutive year of drought. The resulting water deficit is a headache for the agricultural sector, which accounts for more than 85% of direct annual water consumption through crop irrigation.
In Morocco, the Department of Irrigation and Agricultural Spatial Planning (DIAEA) is planning to introduce 7 irrigation systems using unconventional water resources, in this case desalinated seawater.
According to information relayed by the local daily le matin.ma, the operation covers a total agricultural area of 71,000 hectares spread over seven agricultural zones across the Oriental region, the provinces of Tiznit, Boujdour, Chichaoua, Guelmim and the towns of Oualidia and Marrakech.
According to officials, the initiative will be implemented through public-private partnerships (PPP) for the design, co-financing, construction and operation of seawater desalination plants and/or irrigation systems in the areas concerned. The project, which is still only at the design stage, will undergo a feasibility study with a view to implementation.
“The study will be carried out in two phases: the first will consist of an analysis of the agro-socio-economic aspects of water demand and the technical aspects of each irrigation scheme. The second phase will focus on the institutional, legal and financial aspects in order to define the most appropriate strategic option for each site”,
reports the same source.
The year 2022 was the hottest recorded in Morocco for almost 40 years. In the Kingdom of Morocco, the executive signed a framework agreement on June 13 for the implementation of a $1 billion programme to mitigate the impacts and effects on agriculture of this climatic episode, which continues into 2023.
Morocco plans to irrigate 71,000 hectares of farmland with desalinated seawater
