On Wednesday, December 4, 2019, Abdelrahim Waamrou, President of the Regional Council of El Kelaa des Sraghna, participated in the opening ceremony of the sixth edition of the National Olive Forum in the municipality of El Attaouia, under the theme “Olives: A Vital Chain for Job Creation,” which will run through Saturday, December 7, 2019.
Abdelrahim Waamrou emphasized that this forum is a unique opportunity to highlight the key issues and challenges facing the olive sector, and serves as a platform for networking and exchanging expertise among various stakeholders in the sector. He noted that this event, organized in partnership with the Marrakech-Safi Regional Council, the El Kelaa des Sraghna Provincial Council, the Marrakech-Safi Chamber of Agriculture, and the El Attaouia Municipal Council, will feature more than 80 exhibitors representing various stakeholders in the sector, and is expected to welcome more than 10,000 visitors.
Waamro also added that this year’s program will be packed with activities, seminars, and scientific workshops, as well as educational activities and booths dedicated to agricultural consulting, There will also be tasting workshops aimed at introducing visitors to the region’s diversity and abundance of table olives and local olive oils, as well as an awards ceremony for the best farms.
In the same vein, the president of the Regional Council of El Kelaa des Sraghna noted that the sixth edition of the National Olive Fair will highlight the key role of the olive sector in creating local job opportunities, estimated at more than 10 million workdays per year, emphasizing that the olive sector in the Marrakech-Safi region is the main fruit tree sector, covering an area of 235,000 hectares, equivalent to 22 percent of the national olive area.
In addition, the same spokesperson noted that production in the Marrakech-Safi region accounts for 25 percent of national olive production and contributes 64 percent of national exports of canned olives and 24 percent of olive oil exports, The province of El Kelaa des Sraghna alone has approximately 76,000 hectares of olive trees, representing more than 40 percent of regional production. He added that the municipality of El Attaouia serves as a true market and trading hub for olives on both a regional and national scale.
Ibrahim Al-Sabbar
