Recent drought has highlighted the weaknesses of the Moroccan agriculture sector, with the government stepping in to help. In the long term, privatization and consolidation of farm holdings will be more important, as emergency subsidies, in securing its future. Directly and indirectly, agriculture provides the livelihoods for half of Morocco’s population, and has suffered a great deal of late, due to the drought in 2007. Given its importance as an export sector as well, the government is keen to take action. It is already tackling the most immediate issues by increasing subsidies on products such as equipment which reduces water loss in irrigation systems, but broader reform will be needed. At the Institutional Seminar on Agricultural Development in Rabat on December 12, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Aziz Akhannouch called for a “sustained effort” to increase output and competition. He said that the state would play a key role
