HIBAPRESS – Abdel Latif Barka
With the impending announcement of the awaited government formation headed by Fatima Ezzahra Mansouri, attention is turning to the future of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, as it is one of the vital sectors linked to food security, the national economy, and the management of natural resources, amid questions about the name that will take responsibility for this portfolio in the next phase.
A review of the history of Moroccan governments reveals that the management of the agriculture sector has seen a succession of many ministers since the early years of independence. Ahmed Benmansour Al-Naja'i took responsibility in the first government in 1955, followed by Omar Benabdeljalil, then Abdel Rahim Bouabid, Tahami Ammar, and Hassan Zemmouri.
During the 1960s, Ahmed Reda Guedira, Idris Slawi, and El Mahjoubi Aherdane succeeded each other in the sector, alongside other names who took responsibility in the context of successive government reshuffles.
During the 1970s, the portfolio of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform was held by names including Mohamed Barkach, El Maati Jouriou, Abdel Salam Barada, Saleh Mezili, Mustafa Faris, and then Abdel Latif Ghaissassi.
This phase reflects the continuation of changes in the governmental structure responsible for agriculture, before the sector moved to new stages of organization and management.
In the 1990s, the names Abdelaziz Mezian Belfkih and Hassan Abu Ayyoub emerged, before Habib El Malki took responsibility for agriculture in the government of Abdurrahman Al-Yousifi, then Ismail Alaoui during the following government mandate. Mouhnd El Anser also assumed responsibilities related to the sector at a later stage, extending to the governments of Driss Jettou, at a time when governmental competencies and designations were undergoing successive changes.
The year 2007 marked a significant milestone with the appointment of Aziz Akhannouch as Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, as he remained in office during the governments of Abbas El Fassi, Abdelilah Benkirane, and Saad Eddine El Othmani, with the evolution of the ministry's competencies to include rural development, water, and forests.
The year 2017 also saw the appointment of Mbarka Bouaida as Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries, within the framework of the distribution of competencies within the government.
With the formation of Aziz Akhannouch's government in 2021, responsibility passed to Mohammed Sidi, a member of the National Rally of Independents party, before he was succeeded by Ahmed El Bouari on October 23, 2024. This succession comes in the context of increasing challenges related to drought, water stress, rising production costs, in addition to the challenges of modernizing agriculture, strengthening the sustainability of fish stocks, and improving the living conditions of the rural population.
Between this historical extension and the transformations the sector has undergone, the agriculture portfolio remains one of the most closely followed government portfolios, given the impact of its decisions on production, prices, employment opportunities, and food security. With the anticipation of the next government formation, the question remains whether the choice will maintain the continuity of the current management or lead to a new phase in leading this strategic sector.
