Strengthening cooperation in agricultural research was the focus of talks held in Rabat on Thursday, July 23, between Lamiae Agouthi, Director of Morocco’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), and Sanjay Rana, India’s Ambassador to Morocco.
The meeting forms part of a government initiative aimed at developing a new action plan between Morocco and India.
Speaking to MAP after the meeting, Rana said the two countries have maintained a long-standing partnership in agriculture, research, and innovation.
He noted that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Morocco’s National Institute for Agricultural Research have worked closely together for several years through researcher exchanges and the sharing of best practices.
According to the ambassador, both sides are now preparing a new multi-year cooperation plan that will include joint research projects, exchanges of genetic resources, and the sharing of research findings.
Rana added that Morocco and India face similar agricultural challenges, particularly water scarcity, and are working together to identify solutions to improve agricultural productivity, enhance soil fertility, and increase food production, especially in the cultivation of pulses.
For her part, Agouthi said the ambassador’s visit was intended to discuss the agricultural research component of the future bilateral action plan.
She explained that the talks focused on cooperation in several areas, including pulses, agricultural mechanization, and the cultivation of fruit trees, particularly olive, citrus, and apple trees.
Agouthi also expressed both countries’ shared commitment to finalizing a practical cooperation roadmap in the near future to support agricultural development in Morocco and India.
Scientific cooperation between Morocco’s National Institute for Agricultural Research and Indian agricultural research institutions dates back to 1996, following an exploratory mission organized at the invitation of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The partnership was formalized through an initial agreement covering 1997-2001 before being expanded under the broader intergovernmental cooperation framework between Morocco and India.
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Over the years, the partnership has grown to include genetic resource exchange, biotechnology, saline agriculture, irrigation management, agricultural mechanization, technology transfer, capacity building, and researcher exchanges.
Between 2013 and 2018, the two countries implemented the IMILA project, backed by an investment of 35.9 million dirhams, to strengthen food security, improve the incomes of small-scale farmers, and promote sustainable agriculture.
The partnership has also emphasized capacity building through scholarship programs offered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and online training initiatives, from which seven INRA researchers benefited between 2018 and 2024.
