Her Highness Lalla Joumala Alaoui Speech to
the Forum on Moroccan Fresh Produce and Agricultural Development.
World Fruit and Vegetables Show 2009 ExCeL
21 Octobre 2009

 

Minister
Honorable guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

 

I would like first of all to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to the organizers of the 2009 World Fruit and Vegetable show and for hosting the first participation of Morocco as a  Guest of  Honor.

I would like also to thank the members of the Moroccan delegation for taking part in this important event.

A special note of thanks goes to all those present who have so kindly accepted our invitation to attend this Forum.

It is an immense pleasure to be here in this gathering which offers an ideal opportunity for our economic operators to interact directly with so many distinguished British counterparts and executives.

 The Moroccan high level presence at this event, with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Aziz Akhenouch, officials and top representatives from different institutions, is a token of the Moroccan fervent resolution to further enhance the economic and trade relations between our two countries.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

Under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has embarked on a path of major development of its economy. The Agricultural sector is by far one of the most important ones. Morocco benefits from vast natural resources, fertile lands and favorable climate and the new Green Plan will drastically modernize, change and reform the overall Agricultural landscape of my country. More will be said and discussed  about this plan today.

 

Morocco has always put Agriculture at the forefront of its national economic policy indeed, it contributes around 17 per cent of GDP.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I'm pleased to note that in recent years, the bilateral relations between our two countries have enjoyed a steady development. This partnership based on solid grounds, has all the potential for growth on both sides
Over the last ten years, trade between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Kingdom has increased threefold and exceeded 1 Billion Pounds in 2008. Exports from Morocco stand at £ 365,6 Million  while imports at   £ 629  Million.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

Notwithstanding the progress achieved so far, and given the potential in other sectors and the increasing openness of the Moroccan economy, I must recognize that there are still efforts to be made to encourage greater involvement of the UK and allow, in particular, the British business community to take advantage of the new opportunities in agriculture and agro-industry.
Ladies and Gentlemen
This event, first of its kind, constitutes the backbone of a new strategy to enhance our economic and commercial ties and to facilitate new fruitful partnerships. Other events are being organized and will take place in the near future with this aim very much  in mind
I would like to assure you that I will take it upon myself , as Ambassador of His Majesty to the UK, to spare no effort to further promote the Moroccan British cooperation in all fields and in all sectors with the aim to build and develop a stronger partnership between our two Kingdoms.

Thank you for your attention.