The Moroccan media has welcomed comments by Jack Ward, chief executive of British Growers, that UK companies could move production to southern Europe and North Africa.
Mr Ward told Reuters, it was inevitable production of fruit and vegetables would shift to warmer climes. “We will move production further and further south, down through Spain and into Morocco and bits of Africa,” he said.
Morocco World News added, ‘In a bid to address food security amid rising production costs, British producers of fruits and vegetables consider shifting their operations to warmer countries including Morocco.
‘As European agricultural producers turn to Morocco to increase their profit margin amid a serious economic crisis, some French and Spanish farmers continue to protest the importation of Moroccan fruits and vegetables, questioning the quality of the goods.’
However, whether or not European fruit and vegetable growers relocate parts of their operations to Morocco, the North African country is already grappling with diminishing water supplies and is struggling to meet and balance the needs of households, industries, and agriculture. It is investing heavily in desalination plants and other technologies to try to solve the issues.