PROJECT SUMMARY
The new FAO-EBRD joint project co-funded by the European Union “Boosting Moroccan exporters by strengthening competitiveness and sustainability for global high value markets” seeks to further support Moroccan exporters in enhancing their competitiveness and presence in high-value markets.
More specifically, it will assist stakeholders in meeting market demands related to quality and sustainability driven by regulations and private sector standards and certifications. The project will also enhance the capacity of national institutions and local service providers and foster multi-stakeholder partnerships to provide guidance on adaptation priorities. Through data collection and engagement with the private sector, the project will also accompany stakeholders in identifying agrifood exporters’ investment priority needs.
The project is being implemented in close collaboration with MOROCCO FOODEX which is Morocco’s official food safety and export control agency responsible for monitoring, regulating, and promoting Moroccan agrifood exports which operates under the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests (MAFRDWF) and plays a key role in ensuring that Moroccan food products meet international quality and safety standards.
CONTEXT
The agricultural sector in Morocco accounts for about 15 percent of the country’s GDP and employs 45 percent of the population. In 2022, 76 percent of the value of Morocco’s agricultural production was exported amounting to 5.27 billion USD and marking an increase of over 16 percent from the previous year. This growth was driven by a nearly 20 percent surge in food industry sales and an 11 percent increase in the agriculture, forestry and hunting sectors. These sectors account for about 19 percent of Morocco’s merchandise exports, making export competitiveness vital for sustaining the livelihoods of a significant portion of Moroccan society.
Since early 2020, FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with support from the European Union, have been working through different projects to enhance Morocco’s export competitiveness.
The previous FAO-EBRD joint project co-funded by the European Union “Improving high-value trade opportunities in horticulture” was implemented between 2019 and 2024 in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and for several years through an ongoing close collaboration with MOROCCO FOODEX.
The objectives of the previous project were twofold:
1. Support export development by contributing to the country’s capacity to diversify, enhance competitiveness and increase exports of products in key fruit and vegetables value chains, and create linkages to high value-added markets.
The project also aims to start preparing, notably through the collaboration with MOROCCO FOODEX, agrifood exporters for evolving regulatory and private sustainability standards.
2. Support commercialization of quality products by supporting the transition of the domestic market in the selected value chains, namely through more inclusive and efficient commercialization of high quality agrifood products.
The project objectives align with FAO and EBRD strategic frameworks, as well as national policies and priorities, ensuring coherence with the Government of Morocco’s agrifood sector strategies and broader sustainable development goals.
activities
The new project, which was launched in July 2025, includes an initial area of intervention organized around four components with the aim of:
i) strengthening the institutional capacity and fostering the development of private service providers to support SMEs in adopting high quality and sustainability standards
ii) piloting and validating the brand’s methodology
iii) upscaling the adoption of the brand across the country’s regions and agrifood subsectors
iv) identifying investment priorities to support Moroccan SMEs in adopting quality and sustainability best practices
The second area of intervention focuses on export promotion by supporting Morocco in exploring new markets and gaining increasing recognition of Moroccan operators’ competitiveness and compliance with internationally recognized quality and sustainability standards in key markets.
Achievements
- Recommendations supported evidence-based shifts in national policy focus and subsidy levels within the avocado and citrus value chains.
- Trade flows of targeted Moroccan agrifood products towards Eastern Europe have notably increased.
- Moroccan agrifood products have increased visibility and promotion at the international level.
- EU-market compliance readiness: institutions such as MAWFDM, MOROCCO FOODEX and private sector operators have increased their capacities to 1) communicate with buyers and actors across value chains on sustainability due diligence; 2) align with EU regulatory landscape on sustainability; and 3) operationalize compliance including audits on social and environmental standards.
