HIBAPRESS – Jarf
The governor of Jarf province supervised, this Monday morning in the SAKA commune, the official launch of a promising agricultural project concerning the planting of cactus resistant to the cochineal insect, within the framework of implementing the regional plan for the "Green Generation 2020-2030" strategy aimed at developing the agricultural sector and ensuring the sustainability of natural resources.
This project, which covers the SAKA, Lmarija, and Mzkitam communes, targets supporting 580 farmers by improving their living conditions and valuing the cactus product as a promising local economic resource, with a total cost of approximately 1.8 million dirhams distributed over 18 months. The integrated program for the project includes planting 500 hectares of cactus resistant to the cochineal insect, at a total cost of 4.5 million dirhams, in addition to digging five wells to ensure water supply and production sustainability (5 million dirhams), and establishing five water collection basins (500 thousand dirhams), as well as acquiring five mobile tanks with a capacity of four tons each for efficient water distribution, with a financial envelope estimated at 250 thousand dirhams. 
On a practical level, the planting process in its first phase will include 100 hectares in the village of Bzezat (at a cost of approximately 900 thousand dirhams), 50 hectares in the village of Al-Wassata (491,100 dirhams), and 50 hectares in the village of Jbar (430,920 dirhams). 
This project is expected to contribute to increasing the productivity of cactus resistant to the cochineal insect, improving the profitability of agricultural land, and enhancing the income of farmers through the valuation and marketing of the local product, ensuring sustainable economic and social integration for rural residents. 
The project also relies on developing modern irrigation methods and rationalizing water consumption in line with climate change, embodying the sustainable development approach adopted by the new agricultural strategy. The launch of this project comes within the framework of the continuous mobilization of the regional authorities and agricultural interests in Jarf province, aimed at supporting productive projects, and strengthening the province's position as a rising agricultural hub based on valuing local products with high added value, foremost among them the cactus resistant to the cochineal insect.
