HIBAPRESS
Zakia Driouch, Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Forests in charge of Fisheries, presided over the inauguration ceremony of the new quality control laboratory of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, located within the quality hub for food industries in Souss, in the presence of institutional officials and various stakeholders.
This project, carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests, falls within the framework of implementing the two national strategies "Halieutis" and "Green Generation", which respectively aim to enhance the competitiveness of the fisheries sector and develop food industry chains.
This laboratory belongs to the Specialized Center for the Valorization and Technology of Marine Products in Agadir (CSVTPM) and constitutes an integrated analytical reference structure within the framework of a multi-stakeholder single-window approach. This platform extends over a functional area estimated at around 580 square meters, with the mobilization of an investment exceeding 13 million dirhams allocated to high-tech scientific equipment, which enhances national capabilities in the field of analysis, monitoring, and certification of conformity of quality of fishery and aquaculture products.
This new strategic equipment will contribute to strengthening the position of Moroccan marine products in the national and international markets, by ensuring high standards of quality, traceability, and conformity, in line with the increasing requirements of marketing and export channels.
This new structure aims to ensure the conformity of marine products with health standards and market requirements, while keeping pace with raising the competitiveness of the processing industry for fishery products in Morocco, where it will contribute in particular to: improving the conformity rate of products intended for export, and reducing economic losses associated with cases of non-compliance; strengthening the qualitative positioning of Souss-Massa region companies in the markets with high requirements; consolidating the confidence of international partners and buyers in Moroccan marine products.
On the sidelines of this inauguration, three partnership agreements were signed, aiming to position the Specialized Center for the Valorization and Technology of Fisheries Products in Agadir as a national reference in the field of research, development, and innovation in the field of valorization of fishery products and aquaculture.
These agreements were concluded respectively between the National Institute of Fisheries Research, the Regional Competitiveness Cluster Association for Fishing and Transformation of Marine Products – HALIOPOLE, the Association for Freezing Marine Products, as well as the Souss-Massa Promotion Cluster.
Through this structured project and these agreements, the public authorities renew their continuous commitment to the sustainable valorization of marine resources, in harmony with national trends related to the blue economy, strengthening the resilience of production chains, and strengthening the food sovereignty of the Kingdom.
It should be noted that the industrial fabric of the fisheries sector in the Agadir region is characterized by its importance and vitality, as it includes 116 product valorization units, and provides about 27,100 jobs at the level of industrial activities on land, and 16,430 jobs at sea, i.e. a total of 43,700 jobs in the region, which confirms the structural role of this sector in the economic and social development of the region.
