Morocco, France harden partnership with new deals in agriculture

RABAT, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and France have signed two partnership agreements to boost bilateral cooperation in agriculture, Morocco's official MAP news agency reported on Monday.

The two agreements were inked by the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, Aziz Akhannouch, and French Minister of Agriculture and Food, Stephane Travert, who visited Morocco to participate in the country's International Agriculture Fair, scheduled on April 24-29 in the northern city of Meknes.

The first agreement is aimed at strengthening cooperation in the areas of public policies, research and training, irrigation and land development.

This agreement is also expected to expand cooperation between the two countries in the areas of food sanitation and agri-food production.

The second agreement consists of an action plan relating to the implementation of the first partnership agreement.

The agreement, which covers the period of 2018-2019, sets up also a framework for dialogue on Morocco-France relations within the European market with the aim of ensuring better integration of Morocco into the mechanisms governing the European fruit and vegetable market. Enditem