Morocco Foodex & German Agriculture Office Forge Partnership to Enhance Collaboration

The agreement outlines a collaborative effort to enhance technical control capabilities, exchange information and data, and interpret norms and guidelines for ensuring the quality control of agricultural products intended for international markets.

Morocco Foodex and the German institution inked the agreement on the margins of Morocco's International Agricultural Exhibition (SIAM) on Wednesday.

"Shared joy over an MoU signed by #Morocco Foodex & the #Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung @BZL_aktuell on the margins of @SIAM_OFFICIEL - #GenerationGreen - for sustainable food sovereignty," the German embassy in Morocco tweeted. Orphelia Nick, Germany's Parliamentary State Secretary, who attended SIAM's inauguration, emphasized the significance of collaborative efforts to address existing challenges.

"We have to learn from each other how to manage crises," she explained. According to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, the memorandum of understanding signed between Morocco FoodEx and the German office intends to stimulate the exchange of ideas on how to improve the quality of fruits and vegetables.

The two institutions also agreed to form a monitoring committee comprised of representatives from both organizations to oversee the implementation of the three-year action plan. The committee will be in charge of overseeing and carrying out the actions outlined in the agreement.

Following a year-long diplomatic crisis, Germany and Morocco have expressed a desire to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation. Morocco recalled its ambassador to Germany for discussions in May 2021, owing to escalating diplomatic tensions between Rabat and Berlin.

Morocco's move was in response to Germany's position on the Western Sahara conflict. Diplomatic relations between the two countries reached a tipping point by the end of 2021, when Germany's new government announced support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan as a feasible solution to the Western Sahara conflict.

Since then, the two countries have shown a desire to collaborate in a variety of areas, including renewable energy, trade, and security. According to Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture, Germany ranks fourth in the EU and tenth globally in terms of imports of Moroccan agricultural and maritime food products. Morocco's agro-food exports increased by 62% in 2022 compared to 2021. The figure reflects a 156% increase over 2010.